St. Joseph was founded at the turn of the century by the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Ohio. Intent on meeting the needs of the fledgling community 50 miles south of bustling Santa Fe, the Sisters made it their mission to treat the poor and underserved, with special provision made for the care of tuberculosis patients. In 1901, the irrepressible Sister Hyacinth came to Albuquerque to oversee the construction of a hospital - the city's first that would serve the community. One year later the Sisters opened the St. Joseph Sanitarium to minister to the growing ranks of tuberculosis patients seeking the high, dry air of Albuquerque for "The Cure".
By 1927, Albuquerque had grown to more than 36,000 residents and St. Joseph was building a new hospital to accommodate the growth. On March 29, 1930, the St. Joseph Hospital was dedicated. As Albuquerque continued to grow, St. Joseph grew along with it. In 1968, the St. Joseph Medical Center opened. Originally intended to be only four stories with 120 beds, the Sisters of Charity Governing Board authorized Sister Celestia Koebel, the new hospital administrator, to add an additional five floors and a second level North Wing to be completed at a later date. Those floors were finished in 1971 featuring a neurology, rehabilitation and pediatrics department and a youth care center.
In 1985, the Northeast Heights Medical Center and West Mesa Medical Center were added to the system along with the Rehabilitation Hospital of New Mexico and Outpatient Center in 1988.
Based in Albuquerque, NM, Lovelace is a nationally recognized health care organization, known and respected for pioneering innovative methods to advance medical science, technology, research and methods of delivering care to better serve patients' health care and health insurance needs.
Since its beginnings in 1922, Lovelace has grown to become part of one of the region's largest health care organizations, providing both medical care and insurance services to New Mexicans. Lovelace is recognized as a force in the economic vitality of the state, as well as a provider of dependable, high-quality health care.
Today, Lovelace Sandia Health System is a full-service hospital system that serves more than 250,000 patients annually, provides the only hospital and 24 hour Emergency Room on Albuquerque's West Side and implemented the nation's first Provider Sponsored Organization (PSO) MedicarePlus.
As medicine continues to evolve, one thing will always remain constant, Lovelace Sandia's commitment to carry on a tradition of compassionate care. Nurses seeking a travel nursing job at Lovelace Sandia Health Systems, contact Continental Nurses: Continental Nurses was selected to participate in the New Mexico Travel Registry Program, with the current contract period being effective June 1, 2004. Participation in this program allows Continental Nurses to provide Travel Nurses to each of the New Mexico Hospitals listed within this site. For more information on applying for a Travel Nursing job with Continental Nurses in the state of New Mexico, please contact Continental Nurses directly at (888) 894-2900, or visit them on the Web at http://www.ContinentalNurses.com.