St. Luke's Hospital (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

St. Luke's Hospital
St. Luke's Hospital
UnityPoint Health
Geography
Location	Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States
Services
Emergency department	Level III trauma center
Beds	532
History
Opened	May 7, 1884
Links
Website	https://www.unitypoint.org/cedarrapids/
Lists	Hospitals in Iowa

St. Luke's Hospital is a 532-bed hospital located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was established on May 7, 1884, as the first hospital in Cedar Rapids. Today, it is one of two hospitals in the city, the other being Mercy Medical Center.

The hospital's emergency department treats over 55,000 patients annually and handles the highest number of trauma cases in the state of Iowa. Due to this, St. Luke's has formed a partnership with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to train future emergency room doctors. It is also home to the area's only Level III Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and provides a Level III trauma center.

History[edit | edit source]

St. Luke's Hospital was inspired by a homeless man who was critically injured and unable to receive care in Cedar Rapids in 1881. The following Sunday, the Rev. Samuel Ringgold, an Episcopal minister, made a passionate plea for a hospital that could provide care to both citizens and strangers. The community responded, and within months, construction began on St. Luke's.

2008 Flooding[edit | edit source]

During the devastating Iowa Flood of 2008, St. Luke's Hospital remained unharmed while other buildings in Downtown Cedar Rapids suffered damage. As a result, some patients from Mercy Medical Center were transferred to St. Luke's Hospital when Mercy had to be evacuated due to flood damage.