Franciscan Alliance, formerly Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc., is a hospital system serving Indiana and parts of Illinois. It operates 14 hospitals and employs over 18,000 full- and part-time employees.
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Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in 1863 in Olpe, Germany. Drawn to the ideals of St. Francis, Mother Theresia cared for poor and neglected children and for persons in need of healthcare. In 1875, she sent sisters to Indiana where the mission grew to include hospitals, schools, orphanages and homes for the aged. St. Elizabeth Hospital (now Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health) in Lafayette was the first facility founded by the sisters in America. In 1931 the sisters divided into eastern and western provinces, the eastern centered at Mishawaka, Indiana.
In 1974, the sisters of the eastern province incorporated their healthcare ministry under the name of the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc. All related healthcare activities were consolidated into this corporation with a separate board and management staff. In 1986, the corporate offices were moved to their current location on the provincialate grounds in Mishawaka.
In November 2010, Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc., changed its name to Franciscan Alliance. Of the change, leaders said, "Franciscan Alliance is the perfect pairing of two words to create a meaningful, memorable name that affirms our promise to continue Christ's ministry in our Franciscan tradition. Our 13 hospitals are very well known at the community level for their exceptional high-quality medical treatment and compassionate care. With this new name, we expect to broaden awareness of the system’s comprehensive, high-quality health care services and highly regarded compassionate care."