SSM Health traces its roots to 1872, when Mother Mary Odilia Berger and four other sisters came to St. Louis from Germany, after caring for sick and wounded soldiers during the Franco-Prussian War.
Today the system is managed by a team of professionals—both lay and religious—and governed by members of the sponsoring congregation as well as by laypersons from the communities served by its facilities.
[citation needed] In 2012, SSM Health stated that it was 'disappointed with the contraceptive mandate' regarding being legally forced to cover such items by the Affordable Care Act, against Catholic freedom of conscience.
[2] Also in 2018, SSM Health acquired Agnesian HealthCare from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
[3] SSM Health is sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary and is one of the largest Catholic hospital systems in the United States.