Nine Wilkes-Barre physicians meet and claim that the town and outlying areas need BETTER surgical and medical care.
1872 INSPIRATION BY ACCIDENT
Several coal mining accidents occur, and a number of miners die
because of insufficient medical care. This unfortunate episode prompts
the community to hasten their efforts to create a hospital.
1872 THE GROUND FLOOR
A group of leading Wilkes-Barre citizens meet in the home of ex-Governor
Henry M. Hoyt. Their mission: to lay the groundwork for construction
of a new Wilkes-Barre hospital.
1875 REAL ESTATE MAKES IT ALL REAL
John W. Hollenback, a successful local business leader, donates
4 acres of land for the site of the new hospital. This land, on
River Street, is the hospital's site to this very day. Construction
begins.
1876 OPEN WITH A VIEW TOWARD EXCELLENT HEALTH CARE
Wilkes-Barre City Hospital officially opens. Community residents
herald its "commanding view of the most interesting part of Wyoming
Valley."
1887 NURSING THE COMMUNITY
The hospital's Nurse Training School opens and offers a three-year
course of study.
1902 X-RAYS MARK THE SPOT
The hospital opens an X-ray department. During the first year of
operation, the unit admits 72 patients for "radiographs."
1920 GROWING UP...WITHOUT GROWING PAINS
By now, the hospital has grown into several new buildings consisting
of patient wards, medical services and a prominent nursing school.
Volunteers, spearheaded by the Ladies Auxiliary (otherwise known
as The Board of Managers), are responsible for much of the ongoing
growth and activity.
1925 'THE GENERAL' ARRIVES
The hospital officially changes its name to that for which it has been known for over 80 years – Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.
1959 NEWER, BIGGER, BETTER
The hospital's original (and now obsolete) buildings are razed.
In their place, a single modern hospital structure is erected. Among
the new facilities is a Poison Control Center.
1963 GONE FISSION
The Nuclear Medicine Department is opened.
1964 INTENSIVE IMPROVEMENT
Intensive Care and Electroencephalogram units are opened.
1966 CORONARY CARE FOR YOU
The Chest Clinic and a Coronary Care Unit are opened.
1968 EMERGENCE OF THE ER
The hospital adds a 24-hour Emergency Room.
1970 BUILDING UPON SUCCESS
The hospital's administrative departments are expanded and modernized.
Another major building phase begins.
1972 INUNDATED BECAUSE OF THE FLOOD
The hospital serves as a major hub for disaster relief after flood
waters (from Hurricane Agnes) inundate the community. People pour
in for a wide range of treatments, including typhoid and tetanus
inoculation.
1974 FIRST IN CANCER CARE!
The Cancer Treatment Center opens, and the nursing school graduates
its final class.
1981 THE BEST IN THE EAST
The East Tower is opened.
1984 THE CENTER OF IT ALL
The Center for Intensive Care & Surgery, a three-floor, 45,000 square-foot
addition to the hospital's north side, is opened.
1987 THE HOSPITAL WITH HEART
Introduction of the hospital's Cardiac Surgery program, which later comes The Heart and Vascular Institute.
1992 MERGER
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and Nesbitt Memorial Hospital
merge to form Wyoming Valley Health Care System.
2001 TRANSITION OF SERVICES
All acute care services at Nesbitt Memorial Hospital – including labor and delivery, the nursery and pediatrics – relocate to
an expanded and improved Nesbitt Women's and Children's Center at
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.
2006 THE FACE OF HEALTH CARE CHANGES QUICKLY
Three major initiatives are unveiled: