St. Luke's Hospital is celebrating 150 years of providing high quality, compassionate care to patients in the greater St. Louis area. February 28 marks the hospital's 150th anniversary -- the day St. Luke's admitted its first patient in 1866 -- and the hospital strengthens its commitment to improve the health of the community each day.

In its 150-year history, St. Luke's has grown from a single hospital location to an advanced network of care, providing healthcare services in over 60 specialty areas at its main hospital campus in Chesterfield, Mo. and offering 25 other locations throughout St. Louis and St. Charles counties.

"This milestone gives us the chance to celebrate an amazing century and a half of providing exceptional care to our patients," said Christine M. Candio, RN, FACHE, St. Luke's Hospital president and chief executive officer. "St. Luke's achievements are the result of our employees, physicians and volunteers who have committed themselves to making a difference in the lives of those we serve. We will continue to look for new ways to improve the quality of life for our patients and the community as we embark on the next 150 years."

St. Luke's will celebrate its anniversary with the community by hosting a free health fair on Saturday, June 4 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on its main campus. The health fair will include screenings and information about various health topics and community resources. Registration information will be available in April at stlukes-stl.com.

Milestones throughout St. Luke's history include:

• St. Luke's admitted its first patient on February 28, 1866 at its original location near present-day Interstate 55 and Russell Boulevard. The 25-room infirmary consisted of eight medical staff members, while family and friends provided nursing care.
• In August 1866, St. Luke's began providing free treatment to patients during a cholera epidemic. In its first 12 years, St. Luke's treated more than 7,000 patients free of charge.
• In 1889, the St. Luke's School of Nursing was established. Until it closed in 1988, it had been the oldest nursing school in continuous operation west of the Mississippi River.
• During the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904, the hospital opened its doors on Delmar Boulevard.
• In 1948, the Presbyterian Churches joined the Episcopalians in sponsoring St. Luke's.
• In 1973, the area's first hyperbaric chamber was installed at St. Luke's. It is a type of therapy in which patients are placed under increased atmospheric pressure while breathing 100 percent oxygen.
• In 1975, St. Luke's West opened in Chesterfield in the hospital's current location, and in 1985, all operations were moved to the Chesterfield campus. The hospital rapidly expanded to include medical office buildings and new services.
• Open Upright MRI of Missouri opened in 2014 with first-of-its-kind imaging technology in the state.
• St. Luke's opened its eighth urgent care center in 2015.
• In 2016, the St. Luke's Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute announced its affiliation with Cleveland Clinic's Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute.

For more information on the history of St. Luke's and a look at its commemorative collage, visit stlukes-stl.com/history.