OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center

Evergreen Park, Illinois

Little Company of Mary History

Charles Mair Mary Potter's vision manifested itself in America in 1893, when three Little Company of Mary Sisters, Mother Patrick, Sister Veronica and Sister Philomena, came to Chicago from Rome at the request of Charles Mair, a Chicago civic leader.

His support came in gratitude for the care his ailing wife had received from the Little Company of Mary Sisters while she vacationed in Rome. He built a convent for them at 4130 South Indiana Avenue. Mr. Mair even provided magnificent stained glass windows for their chapel.

That convent was eventually sold when the Sisters moved to a larger residence. The old convent chapel now houses the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, under the direction of the Reverend Lou Rawls. The original stained glass windows have recently been relocated to the Hospital. Seven of the windows adorn our Heritage Corridor, located at the original, 1930 entrance to the Hospital. The remaining windows will decorate the soon-to-be-remodeled Regional Cancer Center.

The early Sisters traveled to the homes of the sick on Chicago's south side, providing nursing care, spiritual support and other assistance as needed. The Sisters soon found that there were many more people than they were able to care for. They were hindered by a lack of equipment and the limits of geography and travel. They needed to build a hospital...but where?

Their trust in divine providence and a certain sense of risk were tested when they acquired a tract of land in Evergreen Park, Illinois. The property was isolated and swampy, but it was all they could afford in the midst of the Depression.

The Sisters realized their dream on January 19, 1930, when a four-story, 150-bed hospital opened on that isolated property. Little Company of Mary Sisters, supported by 12 physicians, made up the entire staff when the hospital opened.

Nicknamed the "Baby Hospital"

Aerial view of Little Company of Mary from 1930 Since opening in 1930, more than 200,000 babies have entered the world at Little Company of Mary, earning it the nickname the "Baby Hospital."

First Human Organ Transplant

The Hospital took its place in the history books in 1950 when Drs. Richard Lawler, James West and Raymond Murphy performed the first human organ transplant in the world. This successful kidney replacement allowed the patient to enjoy quality of life for the next four and one-half years. In 1996, the British Broadcasting System featured the story of this medical event in a four hour documentary, "Knife to the Heart," which told the history of transplant surgery.

Historical Highlights

1930- Little Company of Mary Hospital and School of Nursing established in Evergreen Park

1943- Nursing residence opened

1949- Five additional floors added to original Tower Building

1950- Drs. Lawler, West and Murphy perform first successful human organ transplant

1960- Cobalt Unit, a gift of the Auxiliary, opened

  • 132 beds added in new addition that included chapel, medical, surgical and psychiatric beds and administrative office

1963- Medical Intensive Care Unit opened, which is one of the first in the nation

1964- Surgical Intensive Care opened

1966- Cardiac Intensive Care opened

1968- Mayor and Mrs. Richard J. Daley attended opening of the Education Building

1971- Senator Ted Kennedy attended opening of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

1972- Linear Accelerator installed

1977- Little Company of Mary Sisters celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation

1980- Little Company celebrated 50 years of service

  • Birthing Rooms opened

1984- South Pavilion opened, adding 100 private rooms and space for Radiology, Laboratory, Admitting and Emergency Departments

1985- Care Station opened

1987- Adult Day Care opened

  • Cardiac Catheterization Lab opens, providing new diagnostic capabilities
  • Home Health Equipment Center opens

1988- Cancer Center dedicated

  • Little Company became Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers

1990- Little Company celebrated 60 years of service

  • Women's Wellness Resource Center opened
  • Pediatric Critical Care opened
  • Cafe 95 (cafeteria) opened
  • Mobile Medical Care began

1991- Chemical dependency unit opened and dedicated to Dr. James West

1993- Mary Potter Physicians Pavilion dedicated

  • Home Based Services Building opened

1996- Chicago Ridge Health Education Center opened

  • Osteoporosis Center opened in Mary Potter Pavilion
  • Breast Health Center opens

1998- Evergreen Plaza Health Education Center opened

  • New One-Day Surgery unit opened adjacent to Hospital's original main lobby
  • Monsignor O'Brycki Physical Therapy Center dedicated

1999- Original stained glass windows from Sisters' first convent on 41st Street and Indiana relocated to Hospital Portico

  • Wound Healing Center dedicated
  • Ground breaking held for The Cancer Center
  • Little Company is the site for Chicago area's first spinal laminectomy equipment
  • The Cancer Center begins treating patients on an outpatient basis and becomes affiliated with the Medical Oncology Group of the University of the Chicago Hospitals

2000- New Cancer Center and main entrance complete

  • Cardiovascular Program enters C-PORT Trial with Johns Hopkins University

2001- Cancer Center Dedication

  • Little Company of Mary Diagnostic Center opened
  • The Adult Day Center receives a new permanent home in the Heritage Building
  • The Bariatric Surgery Center opens, the first bariatric surgery is performed in the Southwest suburbs
  • Evergreen Plaza Health Education Center relocates to the Hospital

2002- The LCM Sisters celebrate 125 of providing health care around the world

2003- The Diabetes Center is dedicated

2004- Halsted Medical Center Opens

  • The Emergency Department was renovated and blessed
  • Little Company of Mary celebrates the birth of its 200,000th baby, more than any other hospital in the Southwest suburbs

2005- Hospital Celebrates 75th Anniversary in Evergreen Park

  • Hospital serves as Grand Marshall of South Side Irish Parade
  • Little Company of Mary offers the community a 40-slice CT scanner

2006- Bariatric Surgery Center named a Center of Excellence by the American Society of Bariatric Surgery

  • Endoscopy Center is dedicated
  • Little Company of Mary begins performing prostate cancer surgeries using the da Vinci Robot
  • Little Company of Mary opens its Comprehensive Breast Health Center
  • Pediatrics Unit Renovated
  • Renovated GI/Endoscopy Center Opens

2007- Women's Center for Life and Health and Family Birth Center Open

  • Total Automated Lab Opens
  • LCM Becomes Tobacco Free
  • Hospital purchased digital mammography equipment with the support of the Beverly Breast Cancer Walk
  • LCM becomes first in Southland to treat Prostate Cancer with High Dose Radiation (HDR) Therapy

2008- Freestanding Open MRI dedicated

  • LCM Begins Pelvic Floor Disorders Program
  • Burbank Office Expands Services
  • Renovated Sleep Disorders Center Opens
  • Campus Transformation Project Announced
  • Renovated Cardiology Center Opens
  • LCM Becomes First Hospital in US to treat Breast Cancer in one day with Electronic
  • Brachytherapy System
  • Renovated Sterile Processing Area Dedicated
  • Bariatric Surgery Center Treats 1,000th patient

2009- Construction of New Employee Parking Lot

2011- Stroke Center Accredited by the JCAH

  • Breast Health Center Accredited by the American College of Surgeons

2012- Dedication of Outpatient Care Center West in Oak Lawn

  • Dedication of West Pavilion Replacement Tower in Evergreen Park
  • Received Baby Friendly Status from Baby Friendly USA

2013- Breast Health Center received ACR Commission on Radiation Quality and Safety Accreditation

  • Lymphedema Program Begins

2014- Seven-year Campus Transformation Project Complete

2015- Named a Top 100 Hospital and Everest Award Winner by Truven Health Analytics

2016- Little Company of Mary Hospital Opens its Progressive Care Unit

2017- Named one of America's Best Breast Centers by the Women's Choice Award for fourth consecutive year

  • Little Company of Mary Hospital Named Among Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report
  • LCMH Honored With Mission: Lifeline Silver STEMI Level Recognition Award

2018- Named one of America's Best Breast Centers by the Women's Choice Award for fifth consecutive year

  • Dedication of Outpatient Care Center West  Physical Therapy Suite in Oak Lawn
  • LCMH receives Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement
  • Little Company of Mary Cardiologists Named Among Chicago's Top Doctors
  • LCMH Receives Women’s Choice Award® as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Stroke Care
  • LCMH Receives Certified Urgent Care Designation from the Urgent Care Association of America
  • Five Little Company of Mary Hospital Physicians Named Among Chicago’s Top Doctors
  • LCMH Receives the Distinct Honor of Being Re-Designated as a Baby-Friendly Birth Facility
  • LCMH Receives 2018 Mission: Lifeline Gold Receiving Achievement Award for Heart Care

2019- Opens brand new Southwest Medical Center - located on 111th and Central Avenue in Oak Lawn

  • Receives an ‘A’ for Patient Safety for the Spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

2020- Affiliated with OSF HealthCare

  • OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center receives 2020 Mission: Lifeline® STEMI Receiving Center Gold Recognition Award
  • OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center Recognized for Higher Quality in Bariatric Surgery