Providence in the West: A Timeline, 1975-2006

March 17, 1975	Provincial Administration of Sacred Heart Province moves from Providence Heights to offices in downtown Seattle. The Corporate Office (now System Office) begins to develop as more lay people are hired to assist the sisters in administration of the hospitals.
April 1979	St. Vincent Hospital, Portland, assumes management of Newberg Community Hospital, Newberg, Oregon, beginning a new era of growth through collaboration between Providence and local communities.
September 1, 1979	Sisters open Providence Hospitality House, Seattle, to offer emergency shelter to women and children.
September 28, 1979	Jack Brown becomes first lay person to serve as President of the Health Care Corporations in Sacred Heart Province.
May 1, 1980	Mother Joseph becomes Washington State's second representative in National Statuary Hall, Washington, DC.
July 1, 1983	Sacred Heart Province assumes sponsorship of Seaside General Hospital, Seaside, Oregon -- now Providence Seaside Hospital.
January 1, 1985	The Good Health Plan of Oregon, the first HMO sponsored by the Sisters of Providence, lays the foundation for the current Providence Health Plans.
February 27, 1985	The sisters' historic ministry of providing housing for seniors and people in need is renewed with the opening of Vincent House, Seattle, followed soon by Providence House, Yakima, and Emilie House in Portland.
December 1, 1985	Central Memorial Hospital, Toppenish, Washington -- now Providence Toppenish Hospital -- becomes part of Providence.
December 31, 1985	St. Ignatius Province assumes sponsorship of St. Brendan Nursing Home -- now St. Joseph Care Center-East, Spokane.
1986	In collaboration with four other religious communities, the sisters of St. Ignatius Province open Miryam House, a home for single women in transition in Spokane.
December 28, 1987	Providence and Cook Inlet Housing Development Corporation collaborate to open Mary Conrad Center, a home for seniors in Anchorage.
April 1, 1988	Providence Centralia Hospital, Centralia, Washington, is formed from merger of St. Helen's Hospital, Chehalis --formerly operated by the Dominican Sisters -- and Centralia General Hospital.
July 1, 1986	Dwyer Community Hospital, Milwaukie, Oregon -- now Providence Milwaukie Hospital -- becomes part of Providence.
August 1, 1989	Sisters from the three western provinces establish a mission in the Philippines.
March 1, 1990	St. Ignatius Province assumes sponsorship of St. Joseph Hospital, Polson, Montana, from Presentation Health System.
June 5, 1991	Governance of the Sisters of Providence Health Care Corporations in Sacred Heart Province is reorganized, with establishment of a Board of Directors separate from the sisters' Provincial Council.
March 19, 1992	Providence Services established as a holding company for the education, healthcare, and social service ministries of the Sisters of Providence in St. Ignatius Province.
August 4, 1993	Providence Services assumes sponsorship of Dominican Network hospitals and care centers in eastern Washington.
December 1993	Sisters of Providence Health System -- now Providence Health System -- adopted as the new name for the Health Care Corporations in Sacred Heart Province.
December 23, 1993	Mother Emilie Gamelin is declared Venerable, the first step in the process towards canonization in the Catholic Church.
January 25, 1995	Five Sisters of Providence open a mission in La Papalota, El Salvador.
1990s	Providence Health System and Providence Services continue to expand through new low-income housing facilities, long-term care centers, and primary care clinics.
May 1, 1996	Providence assumes sponsorship of Holy Cross Medical Center, Mission Hills, and St. Elizabeth Care Center, Toluca Lake, California, from Holy Cross Health System.
April 16, 1999	Washington legislature designates Mother Joseph's birthday as a non-observed holiday in Washington State.
September 1, 1999	Little Company of Mary Health Services and Providence Health System become cosponsors of all Providence and Little Company facilities in Southern California.
January 1, 2000	The sisters in St. Ignatius and Sacred Heart Provinces come together to form the new Mother Joseph Province. The province sponsors both Providence Services and Providence Health System, as well as several other ministries and intercommunity programs.
February 19, 2000	Bicentennial of Mother Emilie Gamelin's birth is celebrated by the Sisters of Providence and colleagues throughout the world.
June 30, 2000	Strategic alliance transfers sponsorship of Providence Seattle Medical Center to Swedish Health Services.
September 23, 2001	150th anniversary of the death of Mother Emilie Gamelin.
October 7, 2001	Beatification of Mother Emilie Gamelin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence.
2002	Alaska State legislature proclaims 2002 “Sisters of Providence Year”. The Sisters of Providence and Alaskans celebrate in Nome, site of the sisters’ first hospital.
January 19, 2002	Mother Joseph Year commemorates the 100th anniversary of the her death.
October 15, 2002	Sister Kathryn Rutan, member of the Mother Joseph Province Leadership Team, becomes Superior General of the Sisters of Providence, a first for a native of the American West.
August 15, 2003	Providence Yakima Medical Center and Providence Toppenish Hospital are sold to Health Management Associates, Naples, Florida.
2005	Providence Everett Medical Center celebrates 100 years.
September 15, 2005	Formal exploration of integrated ministry begins between Providence Health System and Providence Services.
December 8, 2006	The one hundred fiftieth anniversary of the Sisters of Providence arrival in the Pacific Northwest.