Founded by the former Dominican Sisters of St. Catharine (now Dominican Sisters of Peace) in 1961, Sansbury Care Center had its beginnings as an infirmary housed within the Motherhouse for the elderly and infirm Sisters. As the needs of the congregation and technologies of the day changed, a separate, more modern facility was needed. The new center dedicated and blessed by Auxiliary Bishop Charles Maloney on July 9, 1961, was the fulfillment of the community’s prayers, brought on by encouragement, courage, sacrifice and generosity of the Sisters and countless friends and benefactors. In his homily at the dedication, the Very Reverend Patrick J. Conaty, OP, declared “…we know that Sansbury Hall is much more than brick and stone, tall white columns, long corridors, wide rooms and gleaming appliances of a modern age…. Rather, do we find here a holy place, a new home in an old mission, a gateway to Heaven.”
Originally called Sansbury Memorial Infirmary (name after Mother Angela Sansbury, founder of the Dominicans of St. Catharine), the facility included the accommodation for many modern advances in the healthcare of the day. Sansbury Care Center later became a licensed health care facility in 1978. The Center has continued to evolve since then, as the field of healthcare has evolved, and along the way has garnered the respect of residents, staff, the community and the larger healthcare industry.
Among other recognitions, Sansbury Care Center was honored as the Central District Facility of the Year in 2008 by the Kentucky Association of Healthcare Facilities. In 2010, Administrator Darlene Herald was named Central District Administrator of the Year. In 2011, Sansbury received the Springfield Sun Reader’s Choice Award for Best Nursing Home in Springfield, and in 2016 Sansbury was found deficiency-free by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the regulatory agency who surveys nursing homes for re-licensure, including many previous years as well.