About Providence
Providence Health & Services in Oregon is a not-for-profit network of hospitals, health plans, physicians, clinics, home health services, and affiliated health services. As part of the greater Providence Health & Services, with services in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana and California, we continue a tradition of caring that the Sisters of Providence began more than 150 years ago.
Here is a glimpse at the facilities, services and benefits that make up Providence Health & Services in Oregon.
Integrity and Compliance
Providence Health & Services (Providence) is dedicated to maintaining excellence and integrity in our operations and professional and business conduct. Click below for more information about our Integrity and Compliance Program.
Integrity & Compliance Supporting our Communities
Caring for the communities we serve lies at the heart of who we are. Learn about our
Providence Cares campaign and see how Providence is much more than just health care.
Providence provided more than $213 million in
community benefits during 2009, including $101 million in free or reduced-cost care to our patients in need.
Our History
Overview
Providence Health & Services traces its beginnings to 1843, when a religious community of Catholic women was founded in Montreal, Quebec. Soon to be called the Sisters of Providence, this community grew from the work of a young widow, Emilie Gamelin, who dedicated her resources and ultimately her life to service for others.
In 1856, Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart and four other Sisters of Providence arrived in Vancouver, Washington Territory. Within months of their arrival, the pioneer sisters began caring for elderly men and women, orphaned children and the sick in what was called the "Providence Enclosure." By 1858 they opened St. Joseph Hospital, the first hospital in the Northwest. The Sisters of Providence incorporated their acts of charity in 1859, and word of their good works quickly spread across Washington Territory.
Today the legacy of those first pioneer sisters lives on in the dedication and commitment of all who have joined in the Providence Mission of service.