Seems like the majority of hospitals and medical clinics around here are church owned

[NNN0LHI]

How and when did this involvement begin?

Any ideas?

Don

[Lint Head]

1. Not sure of the date but churches have always been involved in hospitals.

The issue today is the prevalence and that can be attributed to the fact that well run hospitals and clinics can be very profitable.
For tax exempt entities that can offset any loses related to health care. Sickness and death are almost always profitable. People will always get sick and die.

[customerserviceguy]

2. Goes back to the beginnings of hospitals

Generally speaking, before modern medicine, most diseases and injuries were likely to kill you, it was a natural fit with the business of selling the afterlife.

Of course, we've gotten better at saving people's lives with medical care, so their mission has evolved along with that. But the tax-exempt status is a big help when it comes to being able to afford to provide the services. Not sure if it's still true, but I'm sure there was a time when a religiously-affilliated hospital was less likely to be sued than a municipal one.

[SoCalDem]

3. Catholic hospitals used to be staffed by nuns who were nurses

and of course doctors. Many of the office staff at St Johns (where my grandmother died in 1961) were parishoner-volunteers.

Nun-nurses were more or less free help
as was the office staff