Founded in 1886 by the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict, St. Cloud Hospital serves a 12-county area with a population of 671,308. The hospital is in the middle of a $225-million construction project, including a nine-floor wing featuring private rooms and new surgery suites, to be completed in 2011. Operating under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church, the hospital has 489 licensed beds, more than 4,300 employees and a medical staff of 412 physicians. It is part of three-hospital CentraCare Health System, which also operates almost a dozen clinics. The average length of service of nurses at the hospital is 11 years.