From its beginning in 1973, St. Mary Medical Center has partnered with the community to build the City of Healing originally envisioned by the Sisters of St. Francis. A gift to St. Mary is a personal expression of compassion for the things that matter most to you. It is the generosity of our donors that allows St. Mary to live its mission. It All Begins with YOU! Give Why? Give How? Give to What...
Our Smallest Patients
For this world traveler Bucks County and St. Mary are always home In 1957 Erich Weiss left his home in Germany and moved to the United States. Having worked from a very early age — starting at just thirteen and a half — with sheet metals that made up milk processing equipment in Germany, he settled easily into working with metals for HVAC use at his uncle’s company. In his free time, Erich indulged his love of cooking through preparing meals for dinners and special events at his church. In 1980, he turned this hobby into a full-time career by opening his own catering company. You can still find him on occasion cooking for hundreds of guests at church functions, though he officially retired in 2000. Erich and his wife, Joanne, settled in Holland, PA in 1969 and here they raised their son, Eric. The family traveled often to see family in Germany as well as other countries and cities around the globe. Though they enjoyed it immensely, they always returned home to Bucks County. Joanne worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse. During the early nineties, she decided to pursue her RN degree through Bucks County Community College, a choice that ultimately led them to St. Mary Medical Center. After a taking a position with a city hospital, Joanne wished to work closer to home. In 2004 she accepted a nursing position with St. Mary’s fourth floor telemetry unit. Throughout her years of employment, she and Erich happily supported the various fundraisers and campaigns. St. Mary was their hospital. Joanne was diagnosed with cancer in 2007. Between chemotherapy appointments...
Overcoming adversity and “Paying it Forward” Growing up in Northeast Philadelphia, Penny Benz was raised with a strong work ethic and sense of self-reliance. Throughout her working career she had always been employed in spite of lay-offs and mergers around her. Then the “Great Recession” hit, and she lost her job. Even with her wide network of industry contacts, Penny was unemployed for three years, and during that three-year period Penny became very ill while taking care of her 94 year-old mother. When her health insurance ran out in January of 2010, Penny tried to purchase other insurance, but was rejected by two carriers because she was taking medication and was considered to have a pre-existing condition. Penny was distraught. She applied for PA Fair Care, a program that went into effect in 2010 which admits people with pre-existing conditions. She was accepted in August with coverage starting in September. However, Penny had been experiencing trouble swallowing and breathing as well as a sore throat. She went to her doctor who treated her with medication, but the infections kept returning. She was unable to sleep or eat properly because she felt like she was choking and couldn’t breathe. Finally, in July 2010, the pain became too intense, and after going to a Mini Clinic, Penny went to the St. Mary Medical Center Emergency Room. “It was the best decision I made during this entire ordeal. My mother had a knee replacement there in 2004 and we were so pleased with the care she received I knew St. Mary was the place to go.” She explained her circumstances to...
