Obituary: Michael Leo Mullaney SCN, 96, Louisville
Michael Leo Mullaney SCN, 96, of Louisville, died Sept. 26, 2018, at Nazareth Home. She was born in Quincy, Mass., and was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 63 years.
She graduated from the Bentley College of Accounting and Finance in Boston and later completed a master’s degree in hospital administration from St. Louis University. In 1966, she was appointed administrator of St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington.
MICHAEL LEO MULLANEY SCN
During her time in leadership at St. Joseph Hospital, she liquidated the hospital’s $1 million debt, introduced computerization into the hospital offices, expanded services, and put into practice programs initiated by Medicare and Medicaid. During her leadership, the hospital was enlarged twice, increasing its capacity from 285 to 468 beds. St. Joseph Hospital was, at that time, the largest hospital in Central Kentucky. She initiated the construction of St. Joseph Office Park connected to the Hospital by a walkway bridging Harrodsburg Road. She was responsible for top hospital innovations, including the first physician-staffed emergency room and the first cardiac intensive care unit in Central Kentucky, the first balloon angioplasty program in the state, the first hospital helipad in Lexington, and the first computerized tomography (CT) scan equipment in the state.
In 1978, she became the first woman to serve on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Ohio. In 1981, she was elected president of the Kentucky Health Association, the first woman to hold this position in almost 40 years. In 1987, she received the Kentucky Hospital Association Distinguished Service Award for outstanding service to hospitals in Kentucky. In 1988, she was honored by the Bluegrass Chapter of The National Conference of Christians and Jews for outstanding leadership in fostering amity, justice and cooperation among those in Central Kentucky.
She served as hospital administrator of St. Joseph Hospital for 22 years before serving as president of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) Health Corporation from 1988-1992. She went on to become a lobbyist for the Kentucky Catholic Conference, a member of the Kentucky Health Policy Board, and Director of Missions for the Diocese of Lexington.
She received many awards for her work in health care, including the Wade Mount Visionary Leader Award in November 2004, given to leaders in Kentucky who have made significant contributions to the enhancement of health care in the state. In 2005, she received the Kentucky Women Remembered award. Her portrait is part of the permanent collection which honors outstanding Kentucky women and is displayed in the West Wing of the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort.
She is survived by two nieces and a nephew, both of Massachusetts; and by her religious community.
The wake is 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, at St. Vincent Church at Nazareth followed by a prayer service at 6:30 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held in St. Vincent Church, at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018.
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