Old photo of St. Luke Hospital and Living Center, 1952

Our History

St. Luke Hospital and Living Center History

The hospital we today call St. Luke Hospital and Living Center traces its history to the founding of Marion Hospital in 1907. Marion Hospital had six private rooms for patients, a dining room, rooms for nurses, an operating and sterilizing room two offices and an x-ray machine. Room rates ranged from $15 to $25 per week.

In 1944 Dr. R.R. Melton organized a hospital board. The hospital was recognized by the American Medical Association Register of Hospitals.

In 1942, the Kiwanis Club of Marion was asked to look into the possibilities of obtaining a new, larger hospital for Marion. The Most Reverend Christian H. Winkelman, bishop of the Catholic dioceses of Wichita, was approached about the possibility of establishing a hospital in Marion to be operated by the Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood. In 1943, with the encouragement of the bishop, the Sisters Adorers agree to accept the proposal and promised to give 25 percent of the cost of construction, up to $50,000.

The citizens of the area would raise $150,000 toward the 50 room hospital. The Sisters would take over the management of the hospital after the completion of the building. In 1952, on October 18, the feast day of St. Luke (who is the patron saint of physicians), the name selected by the Sisters Adorers, the new hospital was dedicated and the former Marion Hospital closed its doors.

June 1, 1968, the Sisters announced they would wiithdraw from St. Luke Hospital. Like many Catholic religious Orders at the time, they had experienced a significant decline in vocations. They agreed to sell the hospital, equipment and accounts to the proposed district for the price of $117,754 over a term of 10 years with no interest charged. Hospital District No. 1 of Marion County, Kansas signed an operations contract with Lutherans Hospitals and Home Society of Fargo, North Dakota.

In 1979, Marion County Home Care began providing services to Marion County. In 1981, a medical clinic was opened. St. Luke Foundation was created in 1990. St. Luke Hospital and Living Center celebrated 50 years of Care and Service in 2002.

In 2011, a major renovation and expansion project was completed at St. Luke. This $6.2 million project touched almost every area of the St. Luke campus by renovating over 16,000 square feet of existing space and adding over 10,000 square feet of new space.

In November of 2014, St. Luke ended the contract with their management company and became independent.

St. Luke began a $1.5 million capital campaign in August 2016 to improve the quality of its Medical Clinic and Living Center.

The first portion of the project included a 1,000-square foot addition to St. Luke Medical Clinic. Prior to the start of the project, the clinic housed four provider offices, eight exam rooms and one procedure room. With the addition and renovation, the clinic now features five provider offices, 13 exam rooms and a newer, larger procedure room, allowing for a more effective workspace as well as additional providers.

At the Living Center a complete update of the HVAC system was the top priority. An addition was added to the front entrance of the Living Center that houses administrative offices and a newly-designed dining area that can seat 28 people at capacity. A "living area" was also added and has become a place where friends and family members can congregate with residents and staff when visiting. Finally, hallways, floors and residents' rooms received much-needed updates to help complete the project that brought a home like feel to our residents and staff.