Hospitals in Omaha, Nebraska

Hospitals in Omaha, Nebraska have been integral to the city's growth since its founding in 1857. The city has a number of hospitals that were founded by religious groups, as well as the only hospital in the United States that had a nuclear reactor.

Contents

History

St. Joseph's Hospital is the oldest facility in Omaha. The Sisters of Mercy opened the original facility on September 1, 1870. John A. Creighton established the John A. Creighton Medical College and provided funding to the hospital in 1892. It was originally located on lots donated by the Creighton family at 10th and Castelar Streets. A new building was opened at 30th and California Streets that combined both facilities.[1]

The original Immanuel Hospital was located at North 34th and Meredith Avenues in North Omaha. Built alongside the Nazareth Home, the hospital was built in 1890. A large, brick, gothic structure, the hospital was severely damaged in a wind storm in early March, 1902.[2] The original Clarkson Memorial Hospital was constructed in 1909 at 2100 Howard Street. Its five stories housed up to 80 patients.[3] The Douglas County Hospital was planned in 1887. Finished in May 1892, the building was rehabilitated in 1894 because of sub-standard materials and building practices.[4] The original Methodist Episcopal Hospital, located at 20th and Harney Streets, was opened on March 3, 1891. Operated by the Methodist Episcopal Church, it was a four-story brick building that was finished at 3612 Cuming Street in 1908, and was able to treat 2,000 patients per year. The hospital moved to 84th and West Dodge Road in 1968.[5]

Historic hospitals

The Fort Omaha Hospital was opened in 1878 to care for soldiers wounded during the Indian Wars Built along with several other notable buildings at the Fort, the hospital operated through the 1940s.[6] The Ford Hospital in Omaha was built in 1916. It was a privately-operated hospital built and operated by Dr. Michael J. Ford that operated until 1922. Ford was the last small, private hospital in the city.[7][8] The Nicholas Senn Hospital was located at Park Avenue and Dewey Streets in Midtown Omaha. When it opened on February 1, 1912, the hospital was a modern, 60-bed building that featured one of the "finest x-ray machines in the U.S." Dr. Nicholas Senn, a member of the Rush Medical College in Chicago, Illinois, was the hospital's namesake.[9] The Omaha Christian Institute founded Omaha's General Hospital in 1908. Sold to a private company in 1910, it was renamed Lord Lister Hospital. Located at 14th & Capitol Avenue, the building had 88 beds and treated 1,200 patients annually.[10]

Rabbi Isaac Meyer Wise, founder of American Reform Judaism, was the namesake of Wise Memorial Hospital, which was located was located at 406 South 24th Street. Built on a lot donated by the wife of J.L. Brandeis, the facility was built in 1912 for $125,000. Between 1912 and 1917 the hospital treated more than 1,000. In 1930 the institution closed,[11] with the Lutheran Hospital Association purchasing the facility and opening Lutheran Hospital there 1931.[12] The Evangelical Covenant Hospital and St. Catherine's Hospital were other religiously-affiliated hospitals in Omaha, too.

List of hospitals

Hospitals in Omaha alphabetical order
Name Location Founded Affiliation Notes Link
Bergan Mercy Medical Center 7500 Mercy Road 1910[13] Alegent Health Founded by Sisters of Mercy as Saint Catherine's Hospital at Ninth and Forest Streets in Downtown Omaha. Link
Charles Drew Health Center 2915 Grant Street Late 1970s Independent 501(c)(3) organization Named in honor of Dr. Charles Drew Link
Immanuel Medical Center 6901 North 72nd Street 1910 Alegent Health Originally located at North 34th and Meredith Streets Link
Lakeside Hospital 16901 Lakeside Hills Court August, 2004[14] Alegent Health Link
Mercy Hospital (Omaha) 800 Mercy Drive, Council Bluffs 1887 Alegent Health Founded by the Sisters of Mercy as St. Bernard's Hospital[15] Link
Midlands Hospital 11111 South 84th Street, Papillion 1976[16] Alegent Health Originally Doctors Hospital at Park Ave and Leavenworth in Omaha. Opened in 1908 and closed 1976. Link
Nebraska Medical Center 42nd and Dewey Streets 1869 Nebraska Medical Center Created by the merger of Bishop Clarkson Hospital and University Hospital in 1997, The Nebraska Medical Center is the primary teaching hospital for the University of Nebraska Medical Center. While affiliated with UNMC, The Nebraska Medical Center is not operated by the state of Nebraska or the university system. It is a private non-profit hospital governed by a board of directors. Bishop Clarkson first opened Childs Hospital in Omaha in 1869. Clarkson Hospital first opened at 21st and Harney. A new Clarkson Hospital was built adjacent to University Hospital at 42nd and Dewey in 1955. Link
Saint Joseph Hospital at Creighton University Medical Center 601 North 30th Street September, 1870 Creighton University Founded by the Sisters of Mercy; the Sisters of St. Francis took over in 1880. Called Creighton Memorial, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph Hospital at Creighton University Medical Center, and now the Creighton University Medical Center.[17] Currently operated by Tenet Healthcare. Link
Douglas County Health Center 4102 Woolworth Avenue 1886 Douglas County Founded as the Douglas County Hospital as a "pest house" Link
Methodist Hospital (Omaha) 8303 Dodge Street May 1891[18] Nebraska Methodist Health System Founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church near 20th and Harney Streets, moved in 1968 Link
Children's Hospital (Omaha) 8200 Dodge Street 1949 [19] Link
Omaha Veterans Administration Hospital 4101 Woolworth Avenue Veterans Administration Once the world's only hospital with a nuclear reactor.[20] Link
Jennie Edmundson Hospital 933 East Pierce Street, Council Bluffs 1886[21] Nebraska Methodist Health System Link

See also

References

  1. ^ "St. Joseph's Hospital", Nebraska Memories website. Retrieved 1/18/08.
  2. ^ "Immanuel Hospital and Nazareth Home", Nebraska Memories website. Retrieved 1/18/08.
  3. ^ "Clarkson Memorial Hospital", Nebraska Memories website. Retrieved 1/18/08.
  4. ^ "Douglas County Hospital", Nebraska Memories website. Retrieved 1/18/08.
  5. ^ "Methodist Episcopal Hospital", Nebraska Memories website. Retrieved 1/18/08.
  6. ^ Hospital, Fort Omaha. Nebraska Memories. Retrieved 1/18/08.
  7. ^ "More Tax Incentive Projects in Douglas County", Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 12/27/07.
  8. ^ Ford Hospital/Fifth Avenue Hospital City of Omaha Landmark Heritage Preservation Commission. Retrieved 12/27/07.
  9. ^ "Nicholas Senn Hospital", Nebraska Memories website. Retrieved 1/18/08.
  10. ^ "Omaha General Hospital", Nebraska Memories website. Retrieved 1/18/08.
  11. ^ National Conference of Jewish Social Service. (1955) The Jewish Social Service Quarterly. p. 20.
  12. ^ "Wise Memorial Hospital", Nebraska Memories website. Retrieved 1/18/08.
  13. ^ About Bergan Mercy Medical Center. Retrieved 12/28/07.
  14. ^ Lakeside Hospital- History, Alegent Health. Retrieved 12/28/07.
  15. ^ Mercy Hospital-Council Bluffs History. Retrieved 12/28/07.
  16. ^ "Alegent Health Midlands Hospital Announces Renovation and Expansion Plans," Alegent Health. April 24, 2001. Retrieved 12/28/07.
  17. ^ "History of the Hospital". Retrieved 12/28/07.
  18. ^ "History of Nebraska Methodism". Retrieved 12/28/07.
  19. ^ Limprecht, H.J. (1973) A Chance To Live: The Story of Children's Memorial Hospital of Omaha. Omaha, NE: Children's Memorial Hospital.
  20. ^ "World's Only Hospital with a Nuclear Reactor - Dismantled!" Retrieved 12/28/07. dead link- attraction dismantled
  21. ^ Jenny Cares. Retrieved 12/28/07.