Summer update: Things are heating up at St. Joe's

The heat is on at St. Joseph Hospital—and our momentum is too. I’d like to share some updates.

New MRI delivered

Last weekend, our new MRI was delivered and installed on the first floor in the former blood bank. Over the next 6–8 weeks, Siemens will be onsite to complete setup and fine-tuning; we anticipate it being fully operational by mid-September. Check out the photos from the installation below.

Financial sustainability

The recent passage of H.R. 1 – the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – will significantly reduce Medicaid reimbursement rates and potentially leave 11 million people in the U.S. uninsured. The estimated financial impact to Providence is up to $500 million annually in lost Medicaid revenue.

As a health system and locally at St. Joseph we’ve been focused on managing costs, optimizing resources, streamlining operations and reducing waste. Specifically in June, we’ve made progress as we’ve seen our length of stay steadily decrease and productivity increase. Your continued engagement and dedication are crucial as we adapt to a future where reimbursement may be leaner. Measures like these are vital for sustaining high-quality care and ensuring our financial stability, even as Medicaid undergoes changes. Thank you for your unwavering support and collaboration.

ECC receives exclusive Lantern Award designation
Congratulations to our Emergency Care Center team for being named a 2025 Lantern Award recipient by the Emergency Nurses Association. Out of thousands of U.S. emergency departments, only 96 earned this distinction—recognizing excellence in leadership, practice, education, advocacy, research and a commitment to quality, safety, innovation, and a healthy work environment.

Multi Organ Transplant Center ranked #1 again
Please join me in celebrating the Multi Organ Transplant Center for being named the #1 kidney transplant center in California by the Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients (SRTR) for the fourth consecutive time; this is truly an outstanding achievement.

Heart and Vascular team honored again by American Heart Association
Our Heart and Vascular program has earned two Get With The Guidelines® achievement awards from the American Heart Association:

·Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus with Advanced Therapy with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll (7th straight year)

·Heart Failure Silver Plus with Target: Heart Failure Optimal with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll (the highest available level to us)

These accolades reflect our team’s unwavering dedication to applying the latest, evidence-based guidelines and result in more lives saved, quicker recoveries and fewer readmissions.

Thank you to every member of our SJO family for your passion, expertise and hard work. Here’s to keeping the excellence — and the summer energy — going strong.

Brian Helleland
Chief Executive
Providence St. Joseph Hospital &
Orange County/High Desert, South Division