Donors contribute generously to healthcare in New Ulm throughout 125 years
Since the inception of St. Alexander Hospital in 1883, the health care facilities in New Ulm have been institutions of healing for the entire community, rich and poor. In return, the public has been generous in its philanthropy to the hospital and its predecessors.
Following that fateful tornado in 1881, Fr. Alexander Berghold and the Sisters of Christian Charity – a teaching order of nuns – ministered to the injured. The Sisters eventually returned to their teaching duties as Fr. Berghold began pursuing a means to a permanent health care solution in New Ulm.
Fr. Berghold’s persistence is a testament to just what one man can accomplish – let alone an entire community. According to an article appearing in the New Ulm Review April 18, 1883, a meeting was held at Turner Hall to consider the practicality of establishing a city hospital. The article stated: “The matter was fully discussed but the meeting adjourned without coming to a satisfactory understanding. We do not believe that a hospital could be made self-sustaining and even if enthusiasm enough could be infused into our liberally inclined people to establish one, it would be short lived.”
But Fr. Berghold persisted and the generosity of the community and its enthusiasm for this project became very evident.
In the ensuing years, not only one but two hospitals were built in New Ulm, eventually merging back into one along with the clinic and is today what we know as New Ulm Medical Center.
In July 1883, a letter from Fr. Berghold appeared in the New Ulm Review with a list of those who had donated to the hospital project up to that point. Fr. Berghold wrote, “Having commenced to solicit contributions for the hospital of this place, to be opened on November 1, 1883 I have been really impressed by the liberality and generosity of those who have so far been asked to contribute for the above purpose. Only two citizens have so far declined their aid in this cause. The list attached below is most flattering for the active spirit of our citizens when, even in hard times, their charity is called on. This first trial will be my best encouragement for the future.”
Looking at Fr. Berghold comments, current New Ulm Medical Center Foundation Executive Director Carisa Buegler is astonished at how closely her own statements of fundraising today might mirror what Fr. Berghold said back then.
“Our donors are our community partners and have been since 1883 – we couldn’t provide the services we do without them,” Buegler said. “Every major building project in the history of New Ulm health care has been made possible, in part, due to the generosity of the people of this and surrounding communities.”
Building projects in the history of health care in New Ulm have included:
- The original St. Alexander Hospital in 1883.
- The Loretto Hospital which replaced that original structure in 1912.
- The construction of Union Hospital in 1914.
- The re-building of the Loretto Hospital in 1962 at $1.5 million.
- The renovation of the Loretto site when Loretto and Union joined to become Sioux Valley Hospital in 1983.
- In 2001, community members raised $1 million of a $9 million renovation project that included expanded and renovated space for emergency services, radiology, cancer treatment, clinic exam rooms, plus several visitor amenities: lobby, coffee shop and gift shop.
- In 2008, $760,000 was raised to make the $2.5 million Surgery Center renovation and expansion possible.
