Prior to the merger, St. Joseph Mercy Health System consisted of five prime hospitals, nine urgent care centers, and five health centers spread around metro Detroit, providing health care in six counties that include Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne.
They came at the invitation of local medical and religious leaders who dreamed of founding a community hospital to serve area residents.
That dream became a reality on November 21, 1911, when the Sisters opened St. Joseph's Sanitarium, a small hospital located in a former student rooming house at the corner of State and Kingsley streets.
The little hospital had a nine-member medical staff and 17 beds on the second and third floors, including eight private rooms.
In 1977, the hospital relocated to its present location on East Huron River Drive in Superior Township.