French Hospital Medical Ctr

Description

In 1976 French Hospital Medical Center moved from its original location on Marsh Street in San Luis Obispo to its current larger facility located on Johnson Avenue Originally founded in 1946 by Dr Edison French our hospital continues to deliver compassionate quality healthcare Today we offer caring expert staff and stateoftheart equipment to meet the growing needs of our community

OUR MISSION

To contribute to the wellness of our community through the provision of quality services delivered in a compassionate and costeffective manner

OUR VISION

Believing the best we can imagine can be the reality we create we imagine this

Patients choose to come to our Hospital because they are confident that they and their loved ones will receive quality and compassionate care
Our Employees find their work professionally rewarding and are recognized and respected for their skills compassion commitment teamwork and contributions to excellence in patient care
Our Physicians are strategic partners who share a sense of pride in our Hospital and the Community it serves
Our Hospital is designed and equipped as a place to fully support curing and healing
Our Hospital is viewed with pride as the communitys primary resource for healthcare and the encouragement of healthy lifestyles

WE VALUES

An ongoing dedication to provide high quality service throughout the organization
A wholistic approach to healthcare acknowledging each individuals physical emotional spiritual and psychosocial needs
Treating every person with dignity compassion and respect
Integrity evidenced through honesty fairness sincerity and trust in all of our actions
An environment that empowers those giving and receiving care and services
The stewardship of our resources
The loyalty of all within our organization
Adaptability and collaboration both within our organization and community

History

The Golden Years

The 1950s were referred to by many San Luis Obispo County health care practitioners as quotThe Golden Yearsquot During this decade the County grew to a population of over 50000 and the need for specialist physicians arose

One such specialist was Dr Edison French After he served with the Navy Medical Corps Dr French settled in San Luis Obispo In 1946 French purchased the San Luis Sanitarium on Marsh Street

Dr French renamed the sanitarium quotFrench Hospitalquot There he began to practice stateofthe art medicine He claimed to be the first surgeon in San Luis Obispo to use intravenous anesthesia the first to perform a lung resection and the first to do a collapsed lung therapy He was also the first specialist to actively encourage other specialists to settle in the area

Recruiting Doctors

One of Dr Frenchs recruits was Dr Lou Tedone a man who is beloved in the community and who likely brought thousands of little San Luis Obispo babies into the world

In addition to Dr Tedone other boardcertified specialists included

Ernie Werbel General Surgery and Trauma
Al Gazin Radiologist
Tibor Beresky Ophthalmology
Tony Keese Orthopedic Surgery
Tom McKellar Pathology
Gene Petrick Anesthesiology
Bramwell Anthony OBGyn
Bernie Tannenbaum Psychiatry

New French Hospital

In 1972 Dr Edison French closed the doors to the French Hospital located on Marsh Street and opened the doors to a larger French Hospital located on Johnson Avenue in San Luis Obispo Dr French passed away in 1976 but he is still remembered and loved today Dr French cared deeply about his patients and his staff and he always reached out to his employees and made them feel like family

French Hospital today is the city of San Luis Obispos only notforprofit hospital

Acquired by Catholic Healthcare West CHW

On June 1st 2004 French Hospital Medical Center along with Arroyo Grande Communinty Hospital in Arroyo Grande south of San Luis Obispo was acquired by Catholic Healthcare West CHW

Catholic Healthcare West CHW headquartered in San Francisco CA is a system of 42 hospitals and medical centers in California Arizona and Nevada Founded in 1986 it is one of the nations largest notforprofit health care systems and the largest Catholic health care system based in the Western United States CHW is committed to delivering compassionate highquality affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved The CHW network of more than 7500 physicians and approximately 40000 employees provides health care services to more than four million people annually In 2004 CHW provided more than 566 million in charity care and unsponsored community benefit