Community Hospital is 100 years young!
In 2010, Community Hospital of San Bernardino will celebrate 100 years of caring for its community. Its history is rich with colorful characters, amazing stories, tragedy and struggle. From its early days as Ramona Hospital, located in a two-story former saloon on 4th and Arrowhead, to its current stature as a 343-bed primary care acute hospital on Medical Center Drive, the hospital has never lost sight of its mission to care for the sick and injured.
Opened by a physician from London, Dr. Henry Mills, Ramona Hospital had 42 beds, two stories, and no elevator. One of the favorite stories from that time details the challenges of carrying mothers upstairs on gurneys to deliver babies. In 1953, the hospital purchased property on the corner of 17th St. and Western Avenue, and launched the United Appeal for Hospital Beds. With much support from the community, it raised the money needed to construct a new hospital. Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., who was once a patient at the hospital, joined the effort by hosting a gala, star-studded fundraiser. The new hospital opened with 133 beds, 30 bassinets and 275 employees.
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The hospital continued to grow with the community. In 1989, through the generosity of the hospital’s Foundation and Monida B.Cummings, a five-story patient care tower was opened. In 1996, a 57,000 square foot, three-level medical office building was constructed and connected to the hospital by a bridge that spans Medical Center Drive.
In 1998, the hospital affiliated with Catholic Healthcare West, although it remains a non-denominational community hospital. Today, more than 13,000 patients are admitted to the hospital each year, and more than 40,000 are treated in its Emergency Department. It is one of the region’s largest employers, with more than 1,350 employees. Its service lines include labor and delivery, pediatrics, surgery, behavioral health services and more. It is proud to be a trusted resource of community health services and educational support.
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If you would like to be part of our celebration, please let us know how to contact you by contacting us or by calling our Centennial hotline at 909.806.1194. If you were born at Community Hospital of San Bernardino, we'd love for you to take part in our Centennial Celebration by sending pictures! If you have one from when you were born as well as one that's recent, that would be great. If you just have a recent one, that's fine, too. Simply download this form, fill it out, sign it and send it back to the address provided along with a CD with your images.
By sending us your information and photos, you authorize us to use it on our website, for media stories, in newsletters, or in any of our celebratory material.
And click here for a list of upcoming events for 2010! Save the date for our Centennial Gala Celebration in October!
To make a tax deductible donation to the Community Hospital of San Bernardino Foundation, contact us at 909.806.1261. Or visit our Foundation website.
