Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare  Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare is a not-for-profit, Catholic health care system and housing organization sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, of Wheaton, Illinois. The system became a subsidiary of Ascension Health when the two merged in 2015. It operates more than 100 health and shelter service organizations in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The system has 18 hospitals, three long-term care facilities, and 70 clinics. Wheaton has 21,626 employees, including 3,543 physicians. The company's registered name is Wheaton Franciscan Services, Inc.