Providence Saint John's Health Center, formerly St. Johns Hospital and Health Center, is a private
not-for-profit
A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives.
While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...
,
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
hospital
A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, United States. The hospital was founded in 1942 by the
Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth
The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth is a Catholic religious institute based in Leavenworth, Kansas who follow in the tradition of Saints Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. A member of the Sisters of Charity Federation in the Vincentia ...
. In 2014, the hospital was transferred to
Providence Health & Services
Providence Health & Services is a not-for-profit Catholic Church, Catholic healthcare system headquartered in Renton, Washington.
The health system includes 51 hospitals, more than 800 non-acute facilities, and numerous assisted living faciliti ...
.
Notable patients
Birth
*
Patricia Kennedy Lawford, gave birth to her son
Christopher Lawford on March 29, 1955.
* Choreographer
Michael Rooney was born here March 30, 1962.
* Actress
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Magdolna Hargitay Mariska says her own first name and the name of her father; the interviewer, James Lipton, also says her full name near the start of the show. (; born January 23, 1964) is an American actress, producer, and philanthrop ...
was born there on January 23, 1964.
* Comedian
Adam Friedland was born here on April 10, 1987.
*
Lisa Marie Presley, gave birth to her eldest child
Riley Keough
Danielle Riley Keough ( ; born May 29, 1989) is an American actress. Born into the Presley family, she is the oldest daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and the eldest grandchild of Elvis Presley. She initially started her career as a model from 200 ...
in 1989.
* Actresses
Katie Holmes
Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003).
Holmes made her film debut with a supporting role in Ang Lee's '' The Ice Sto ...
,
Bridget Moynahan, and
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby (1978 film), Pretty Baby ...
gave birth.
* First Lady of California
Maria Shriver
Maria Owings Shriver ( ; born November 6, 1955)
is an American journalist, author, a member of the prominent Shriver and Kennedy families, former First Lady of California, and the founder of the nonprofit organization The Women's Alzheimer's M ...
gave birth and had a nursery ward named in her honor in 2004.
Died
*
Vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
comedian
Frank Fay - September 25, 1961.
* Songwriter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...
on October 15, 1964 - kidney failure after surgery.
* Jazz singer
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...
- lung cancer on February 15, 1965.
* Actor
Lee Tracy -
liver cancer
Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...
on October 18, 1968.
* Actor
Robert Taylor -
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...
on June 8, 1969.
["Lung cancer claims life of actor Robert Taylor"](_blank)
''Edmonton Journal
The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Postmedia Network.
History
The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunn ...
''. June 9, 1969, p.J 9. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
* Actor
Charlie Ruggles -
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
on December 23, 1970.
* Actress
Joi Lansing - breast cancer in 1972.
* Actress
Irene Ryan better known as Granny on "
The Beverly Hillbillies
''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...
" -
glioblastoma
Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is the most aggressive and most common type of cancer that originates in the brain, and has a very poor prognosis for survival. Initial signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nons ...
and
arteriosclerotic heart disease on April 26, 1973, at age 70.
* Actress
Mary Philips - April 22, 1975.
* Radio actor
Ken Carpenter - October 16, 1984.
* Television personality
Johnny Olson
John Leonard Olson (May 22, 1910 – October 12, 1985) was an American radio personality and television announcer. Olson is perhaps best known for his work as an announcer for game shows, particularly the work he did for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman P ...
- October 12, 1985, from complications from a stroke.
* Astrologer
Carroll Righter on April 30, 1988, of prostate cancer.
*
Actress Bonita Granville (1923–1988) - October 11, 1988.
* Actor
Ralph Bellamy
Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and award ...
- November 29, 1991, from a lung ailment.
*
Cesar Romero - from complications of a
blood clot
A thrombus ( thrombi) is a solid or semisolid aggregate from constituents of the blood (platelets, fibrin, red blood cells, white blood cells) within the circulatory system during life. A blood clot is the final product of the blood coagulatio ...
on January 1, 1994.
*
Walter Matthau -
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...
on July 1, 2000
* Actor
Les Tremayne
Lester Tremayne (16 April 1913 – 19 December 2003) was a British-born American actor who performed in Vaudeville, film, theatre, radio and television.
Early life
Tremayne was born in Balham, London. He moved with his family at the age o ...
-
heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood.
Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...
on December 19, 2003, at age 90.
[McLellan, Dennis (23 December 2003)]
"Les Tremayne, 90; Radio Icon's Acting Career Ran 6 Decades"
''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
*
Comedian
A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercultur ...
- heart failure on June 22, 2008, at age 71.
*
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games. Animat ...
Bill Melendez - September 2, 2008, at age 91.
* Actor
Patrick McGoohan
Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor of film, television, and theatre. Born in New York City to Irish parents, he was raised in Ireland and England. He began his career in England during t ...
- January 13, 2009, at age 80.
* Actor
Dom DeLuise - May 4, 2009, at age 75 due to
kidney failure
Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...
.
* Actress
Farrah Fawcett - June 25, 2009, at age 62 of
anal cancer.
* Actor
Harve Presnell - Died - June 30, 2009, at age 75.
* Director
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter.
Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts ...
- on December 15, 2010, at age 88 from complications from pneumonia.
* Television personality
Dick Clark
Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American television and radio personality and television producer who hosted ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 1989. He also hosted five incarnations of the Pyramid (game show), ...
- April 18, 2012, at age 82 of a heart attack.
* Actress
Karen Black
Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portr ...
- from
ampullary cancer on August 8, 2013, at age 74.
* Actor
Dick Van Patten - complications from diabetes - on June 23, 2015, at age 86.
* Rock guitarist
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he founded with his brother Alex V ...
-
cerebrovascular accident - on October 6, 2020, at age 65.
Procedures/Treatments
* Actor
Richard Burton
Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor.
Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...
was treated there in 1974 for alcoholism.
* Pianist
Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich (; ; born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At an early age, she won sev ...
- Treated after her melanoma spread to her lungs. After she recovered, she gave a special concert benefiting the hospital.
*
Playboy
''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
Playmate Melissa Holliday underwent
Electroconvulsive Therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatry, psychiatric treatment that causes a generalized seizure by passing electrical current through the brain. ECT is often used as an intervention for mental disorders when other treatments are inadequ ...
- in 1995.
* Former
US President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
, taken to St. John's in 2001 after falling and was determined to have a broken hip.
*
Governor of California
The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The Governor (United States), governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard.
Established in the Constit ...
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
was treated - for six broken
ribs
The rib cage or thoracic cage is an endoskeletal enclosure in the thorax of most vertebrates that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum, which protect the vital organs of the thoracic cavity, such as the heart, lungs and great vessels ...
after a motorcycle accident, and received fifteen stitches here after a skiing accident, both in 2006.
* Former
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress who was the first lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989, as the second wife of President Ronald Reagan.
Reagan was born in ...
, February 17, 2008, taken to St. John's after
falling in her
Bel Air home.
Notable donors
Among those who have contributed significant donations to the center are:
*
Johnny Carson
John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson is a cultural phenomenon and w ...
*
Kay Kyser
*
Paula Kent Meehan[John L. Seitz]
Profile of: Paula Kent Meehan
''Beverly Hills Courier'', December 24, 2004
*
Patrick Soon-Shiong
*
Jimmy Stewart
References
{{authority control
Hospital buildings completed in 1942
Catholic hospitals in the United States
Hospitals in Los Angeles County, California
Buildings and structures in Santa Monica, California
Hospitals established in 1942
1942 establishments in California
Organizations based in Santa Monica, California