St. Joseph's Hill                                                                  Price Memorial

            

In an early 2001 newsletter column, Brother John Spila spoke in behalf of the Franciscan Missionary Brothers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus when he described a variety of wide-ranging responsibilities. The thoughts expressed in the following excerpt from his column helped to set the stage for this website's development -- for creating new opportunities to communicate with those interested and involved in the Brothers' work. He said:

• Today's nursing homes have many responsibilities. St. Joseph's Hill and Price Memorial are owned and operated by the Franciscan Missionary Brothers in order to provide special, compassionate care for men and women of all faiths. Providing for our residents' needs is the primary goal of our facilities, and we work to ensure that each person under our care has the opportunity to live life to his or her fullest potential.
  
• Our work at the two facilities also carries with it a responsibility to family members and others close to our residents. From counseling and support for families to their participation in planning for resident care, we work to help all concerned with the decisions and emotions surrounding their loved ones.
  
• We believe we have a further responsibility to be "good citizens" in the long-term-care community. To that end, we have worked statewide and beyond to help efforts aimed at influencing regulatory policy and educating nursing home staffs.
  
• Our responsibilities extend to the communities surrounding St. Joseph's Hill and Price Memorial. We recognize that our facilities are an integral part of the areas in which they are located and whose citizens they serve.
  
• And, to those who work at our nursing homes, we have special responsibilities. The staff members at our facilities are, in many ways, the "arms and legs" of the Franciscan Brothers -- providing the 24-hour, daily care that our residents need.

For these and other groups, Brother John noted that, "Finding ways in which to meet such wide-ranging responsibilities is an ongoing challenge. Yet, there is a common denominator that serves all of the groups important to us."

That common denominator? Communication. Creating opportunities to reach out and share information -- and opportunities to hear from people interested and involved in the Brothers' work.

"Through modern technology and the Internet," he said, "we've found a new way to communicate across the board with the many people and groups to whom we have responsibilities."