Silver Cross Hospital, an independent hospital in New Lenox, celebrated its 130th anniversary on Thanksgiving.

The Will County Union of King’s Daughters and Sons (now the Silver Belles Circle) established the 33-bed hospital in Joliet on Thanksgiving Day in 1895. The hospital was named after the Maltese cross, “a symbol of hope and healing,” according to the release.

Silver Cross moved to New Lenox in 2012 and is now “a 348-bed state-of-the-art facility,” according to the release.

The hospital’s Midwest Institute for Robotic Surgery “is the largest program of its kind in the Chicago area, attracting surgeons from around the world,” according to the release.

Silver Cross added open heart surgery to its procedures in 2019, opened Will County’s First and Only Level III Amy, Matthew & Jay Vana Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in 2022 and began the Advanced Heart Failure Clinic at Silver Cross.

Strategic partnerships include UChicago Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Rush University Medical Center and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

Silver Cross was named one of the Nation’s 100 Top Hospitals 11 times and has received 22 Straight A’s for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group.

In 2025, Silver Cross contributed $57 million in charity care and community benefits.

Through its Healthy Community Commission, Silver Cross has awarded more than $3.5 million in scholarships and workforce development grants.

For a deeper look at Silver Cross’ history, visit silvercross.org.

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