Continuing Care

An Oak Lawn police officer quickly held up his hand, halting several lanes of traffic along an ever-busy 95^th Street. While the drivers of Ford Fairlanes and Thunderbirds waited impatiently in their idling vehicles, the low rumble of construction equipment was heard in the distance. Curious onlookers watched as a convoy of trucks, bulldozers, and cranes turned off onto Kostner Avenue. Leaving clouds of exhaust in their wake, one could have hardly imagined that a quiet stretch of farmland had been turned overnight into a bustling building site.

Three years and tens of thousands of dollars later, the herculean project was finished. As the doors opened for the first time on March 22, 1961, village officials and business leaders were amazed at the state-of-the art medical facility, Christ Community Hospital. After decades of hopeful thinking and meticulous planning, the dream had finally come to fruition. The impressive, six-story, 200-bed structure, although modest by today’s standards, represented a pivotal step forward for Oak Lawn.

After witnessing a huge population spike during the 1950s, it was clear to both citizens and village officials that a new hospital was needed much closer to home.  Residents in dire need of medical assistance would frequently have to travel into Chicago to seek treatment. Christ Community’s location was carefully chosen by planners, as it would be able to serve not only the village of Oak Lawn, but also the far South Side of Chicago. Despite the fact that only four of the six floors had been completed prior to its grand opening, the medical center proved its worth as hundreds of patients received care within its first month of opening.

By 1963, the two remaining floors were completed, adding another 200 beds. A dedicated staff of doctors, specialists and nurses toiled night and day, performing all manner of procedures, from simple consultations to major operations. Their mettle was put to the test in April 1967, when a devastating tornado ripped through Oak Lawn, leaving millions of dollars of destruction in its wake. As scores of injured citizens flooded the cramped hallways, the hospital director phoned village mayor Fred Dumke, who immediately offered to coordinate relief efforts.

Working with the police and fire Departments, teams of nurses waited anxiously as ambulance, fire engines and private vehicles dropped off victims at an alarming rate. Bodies of the storm’s victims were temporarily stored in the Johnson-Phelps VFW Hall before being transferred to Christ Community’s morgue. With the cooperation of the village and local volunteers, the hospital rose to the challenge and handled the calamity with typical professionalism. 

The experience of working side-by-side with Oak Lawn officials endeared Christ Community to residents. Throughout the 1970s, the hospital put on numerous events to help give back to the Oak Lawn. Wealthy business leaders established the annual , in which fathers presented their young daughters to prospective suitors. An evening of black ties and ballroom gowns, the night would conclude with a pledge drive and silent auction.

Even as new additions expanded the size of Christ Community, its administration never lost sight of what made the hospital run so effectively: its staff.  In a 1971 tribute to the Women’s Auxiliary Force, hospital director Reverend William Siemers thanked his employees for their outstanding work. Speaking to the assembled crowd, he remarked that the board of trustees needed to “praise you for your dedication and acknowledge your many, many years of service.”

As new departments were established across the hospital, Christ Community received certification after certification from the state of Illinois. In 1973 it was designated as a Class A regional trauma center for the Chicago land area. By the 1980’s, an arthritis center and expanded surgical wing were completed. After training a series of pediatricians, the Children’s Heart Institute opened in 1987.

With the dawning of a new millennium, Christ Community formally changed its name to Advocate Christ Medical center, reflecting the wide range of service and treatments it offered. As a leading care center, a $28 million renovation was finished in 2007, adding a new conference hall and five cutting-edge surgery rooms.  Today, as a member of the Advocate Heath Care group, its professionals lead the Midwest in fields as diverse as robotic surgery and kidney transplants.

So next time you catch a glimpse of that glowing cross far above the hectic confines of 95^th Street, say a word of thanks for the dedicated professionals at Christ Medical Center.