History of Ignatia Hall
In 2014, Summa Health celebrated the 75th anniversary of Summa Health Ignatia Hall at St. Thomas Campus, the first hospital-based unit in the country dedicated to the treatment of alcoholism. For more than seven decades, Summa has been committed to engaging people in the treatment of alcohol and other substance use disorders and improving the care offered.
In 1939, many individuals and organizations were impoverished as a result of the Great Depression; St. Thomas Hospital was no exception. However, even with limited resources, a visionary nun who had emigrated from Ireland and a physician from St. Thomas Hospital together created the first hospital-based unit in the country dedicated to the treatment of alcoholism. That unit still exists today as Summa Health Ignatia Hall at St. Thomas Campus.
It was not an easy journey for Sister Mary Ignatia, C.S.A, hospital registrar at St. Thomas Hospital and Dr. Robert H. Smith (Dr. Bob), co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) along with Bill Wilson. Alcoholism wasn’t yet recognized as a disease, and those suffering from it were thought to lack willpower or morals.
Sister Ignatia’s compassion, along with Dr. Bob’s fortitude, prompted the duo to admit a patient who desperately needed help from his addiction to alcohol. Sister Ignatia put the patient in the only available room she had, the flower room, where flowers were stored for patients. As more patients were admitted, Dr. Bob took care of their physical needs, while Sister Ignatia, known as the “Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous,” and members of AA took care of the individual’s spiritual and emotional needs.
Often, the duo had to sneak patients into the hospital. In a time where alcoholics were typically ushered into the emergency room to sober up and quickly sent back out, Sister Ignatia and Dr. Bob found them beds.
It was Sister Ignatia who introduced the custom of giving tokens to recovering alcoholics to mark their sobriety—she gave patients in the alcoholic ward a Sacred Heart scapular to remind them of their commitment not to drink, and asked them to return it to her before they took a drink.
Since those early days, the Summa Health Behavioral Health Institute has evolved into a regional mental health leader expanding to meet the continuing needs of the community. The center offers a wide range of psychiatric and medical treatment services and provides a full continuum of care for patients with behavioral health needs. But just like in those early day with Sister Ignatia, Summa remains committed to offering the care and support to help people survive, adapt and gather new hope and possibilities in their lives.