Ashland Community Hospital

Description

About Us
Ashland Community Hospital is a licensed and accredited independent nonprofit community hospital whose mission is to provide compassionate highquality care that improves the overall health of patients their families and the community at large Founded in 1907 Ashland Community Hospital is the oldest hospital in the Rogue Valley and today offers a widerange of inpatient and outpatient services These include 24hour emergency care surgical services acute inpatient care birthing services comprehensive wound care home health and hospice services and a wide range of outpatient diagnostic and treatment services

In 2007 Ashland Community Hospital affiliated with the Planetree Organization which promotes a patient and familycentered model of care Ashland Community Hospital strives at all times to personalize humanize and demystify the healthcare experience

Mission
Our Mission is to provide compassionate highquality care that improves the overall health of our patients their families and the community by working in partnership with our physicians and other regional healthcare providers

Vision
Our Vision is to be an independent collaborative community hospital distinguished throughout the region for the highly skilled patient centered services we provide and the relationships we cultivate with patients families and providers

Values
Respect
For Others and Ourselves

Quality
Always

Creativity
In Transitions

Integrity
In Word and Deed

Teamwork
All For One and One For All

History

quotA Century of Caring ACH Celebrates 100 Years of Servicequot
Compiled by Pamela Garrett from Ashland Community Hospital A Century of Caring
by Kay Atwood

Ashlands hospital a modern wellstaffed and welcoming place is rooted in 100 years of history Created and sustained by residents physicians and city officials the hospital is an integral part of a community that has always valued quality of life

Ashland Community Hospital has been both privately and publicly owned has had five separate locations and five different names At various times the hospital has faced fire obsolescence and insolvency In each instance committed and forwardlooking citizens rallied to preserve the institution

By 1900 Ashlands population had increased to 2634 residents As Ashland grew so did the need for a medical facility In 1903 Dr Joseph Herndon a graduate of Willamette University opened a sanitarium near the present site of the Elizabethan Theater In March 1907 Dr Francis G Swedenburg moved to Ashland and joined Dr Herndon in practice at the sanitarium Dr Swedenberg soon emerged as a significant figure in Ashlands medical community Almost immediately he sought a location for a local hospital

Southern Oregon Hospital was located in the former Fordyce Roper residence on Main Street and saw steady use by both local residents and tourists After slightly over a year in operation disaster struck on March 11 1909 when the roof burst into flames After the fire the hospital moved to a temporary location at 586 East Main Street and a decision was made to build a new structure rather than repair the damaged one

Granite City Hospital located on the Boulevard near the intersection of Palm Street opened its doors on April 30 1910 Ashlands population had reached more than 5000 and the new hospital saw frequent use but struggled financially

In 1921 Jesse Winburn who had acquired a fortune developing subway advertising in New York retired to Ashland He formed a friendship with Dr Swedenburg and decided to purchase Granite City Hospital He remodeled the facility and gave it to the city After several years of struggling with the hospitals financial hardships and trying to find responsible lessees the city decided to formalize its ownership of the institution putting an amendment to the city charter on the ballot in November 1930 that would allow the city to own and maintain a city hospital The issue passed with a resounding 936 votes in favor of city ownership and 152 votes against Throughout the 1930s and 40s the hospital remained open but a long list of lessees found business difficult at the continually financially strapped institution

Ashlands doctors returned home following military service in World War II and during the decade 19501960 a number of new physicians opened practices in town By the summer of 1959 the city council decided that Ashland needed a new hospital Studies by architects and engineers indicated that remodeling the existing structure would be as costly as construction of a new facility After passing a bond issue and examining 22 sites a location at Maple and Chestnut Streets was selected The parcel of land approximately eight acres was purchased for 34500 Groundbreaking was held on October 3 1960 and on November 4 1961 the new hospital was dedicated From the mid to late 60s the facility was enlarged including the addition of a new 30bed wing In 1973 plans to expand space for outpatient services were announced

In April 1977 the Ashland City Council approved formation of the Ashland Community Hospital Foundation The Foundations first Board of Directors made the decision to incorporate as a private independent foundation which would provide greater latitude in pursuing donations to the Hospital In May 1977 the Foundation was formed as a 501c 3 nonprofit corporation In 1989 under the guidance of Board President Jean Bernard the Foundation established its own endowment fund which now has a corpus of more than 13 million Today the Foundation has assets of more than 68 million

The Hospital continued to grow expanding its facility and services to meet the increasing needs of the community At the June 18 1996 meting of the Ashland city council the city and hospital board representatives signed a definitive agreement and lease agreement turning the hospitals facilities and operations over to Ashland Community Healthcare Services The action meant that the hospital would no longer be a city department but a notforprofit corporation

In recent years the Hospital added a new medicalsurgical wing and partnered with Siskiyou Imaging in a new MRI facility provided respite and hospice services and opened an outpatient physical therapy center and a wound center The Hospital purchased a new multislice CT scanner and in 2006 opened a stateoftheart Diagnostic and Surgery Center providing expanded and enhanced services for outpatients

In 2007 the Hospital affiliated with Planetree a network of progressive healthcare facilities committed to the creation of patientcentered healthcare environments that support and nurture healing