Saint Marys Hospital

Sponsorship Board, Inc.

From their respective beginnings, Saint Marys Hospital and Rochester Methodist Hospital have enjoyed a partnership with Mayo Clinic founded upon trust, mutual respect and commitment to meet the needs of each patient. There were no formal or written agreements among them. Then in the early 1980s, changes in health care at a national level prompted discussion of a formal integration of the institutions.

Depiction of the first operation at Saint Marys Hospital, 1889.

In 1986, the long-standing relationship among the three organizations was formalized under a common governance and management structure. The integration agreement created Mayo Clinic in Rochester as we know it today, the largest not-for-profit medical organization in the United States.

A vital component of the integration for Saint Marys Hospital was a Sponsorship Agreement between the Sisters of Saint Francis, Saint Marys Hospital and Mayo Clinic. This agreement created the Sponsorship Board, a group dedicated to perpetuating the hospital's spiritual roots, and a focus for the perpetuation and strengthening of Mayo/Franciscan values in the institution.

The Sponsorship Board is comprised of Franciscan Sisters and lay colleagues. It is charged with maintaining the Catholic Franciscan identity of Saint Marys Hospital, as well as exploring and advocating ways in which the fundamental values of Mayo Clinic and its hospitals are nourished and infused into the lives and work of all Mayo staff.

Mission and Purposes

The mission of the Sponsorship Board is:

• To strengthen the infusion of the spiritual dimension within the Mayo Clinic environment
• To encourage trust among staff members and the anticipation of trustworthiness by patients and their families
• To nurture those values which are synonymous with Saint Marys Hospital, Rochester Methodist Hospital and Mayo Clinic:
• Primacy of the patient
• Trust
• Commitment to excellence through teamwork
• Spiritual support
• Compassion and respect for persons served and serving

Role of Sponsorship

An essential role of sponsorship is anticipating the challenges that accompany changes affecting society, medicine and patients. Sponsorship addresses timely issues that touch all aspects of caring for those who serve and are served.
Through its committees, the Sponsorship Board offers employees programs related to the recognition of spirituality in a dynamic health care environment. Educational courses provide an avenue through which staff may gain perspective and understanding and learn how their personal and Mayo/Franciscan values may be applied in their work. Research grants are awarded to staff members for the study of such topics as patient quality-of-life issues, and the characteristics of spiritual distress in patients and staff.
Sponsorship Values Reviews provide an opportunity for departments to assess their efforts in the integration of Mayo/Franciscan values.

Sponsorship Education Committee

The Sponsorship Education Committee promotes Mayo/Franciscan values across Mayo Clinic in Rochester through educational programs for staff and the public. Members collaborate with other institutional groups to plan programs that respond to needs identified by Mayo Clinic staff specifically related to care for those served and serving.

Sponsorship Research Committee

The Sponsorship Research Committee promotes and supports scientific inquiry that addresses one or more of the Mayo/Franciscan values at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Examples of published studies supported by this effort include:

• Piderman KM, Marek DV, Jenkins SM, Johnson ME, Buryska JF, Mueller PS. Patients' expectations of hospital chaplains. Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2008;83(1):58-65. [Abstract]
• Cutshall SM, Fenske LL, Kelly RF, Phillips BR, Sundt TM, Bauer BA. Creation of a Healing Enhancement Program at an academic medical center. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 2007;13:217-223. [Abstract]
• Carter LC, Nelson JL, Sievers BA, Dukek SL, Pipe TB, Holland DE. Exploring a culture of caring. Nursing Administration Quarterly 2008;32(1):57-63.

Sponsorship Values Review Committee

The Sponsorship Values Review Committee provides a framework and process for those who work at Mayo Clinic in Rochester to demonstrate the presence and strength of the Mayo/Franciscan values in their workplace. Values Reviews focus on the following areas:

• Evidence of the primacy of patient needs
• Presence in the working environment of the Mayo/Franciscan values of excellence, teamwork, trustworthiness, compassion and respect
• Continuing integration of Franciscan heritage and philosophy into today's working environment
• Promotion of the "added dimension" of care which many patients find in spiritual support

Vital Work for the Future

Sponsorship and the spiritual dimension of care are vital to strengthening the core values that guide Mayo Clinic. The spiritual roots of the clinic founders are as relevant and important as ever to the care patients receive. Today, Mayo/Franciscan values thrive in an environment that recognizes that spirituality is an integral dimension of compassionate care and an important aid to healing for patients, their families, and their caregivers.