History

Warren General Hospital is a community-centered hospital that was constructed in response to the community’s need for expanded healthcare services. Prior to 1900, unaffiliated, local physicians delivered most of the healthcare services. The Society of Christian Workers provided limited healthcare services at the Door of Hope, a home that provided temporary care for the sick and for unmarried, pregnant females. The need for a real hospital became apparent when financial constraints threatened the viability of the Door of Hope. Thus, on March 28, 1898, a local physician paid for a charter for Warren Emergency Hospital and the community leaders initiated a fundraising campaign to construct the hospital.

The hospital, originally named Warren Emergency Hospital, opened to patients on December 24, 1900. A year later, the hospital constructed an annex for patients with contagious diseases, in response to increase patient utilization. That same year saw the establishment of a nursing school, which operated until its financial demise in 1941. The hospital continued to expand beyond the original purpose of providing emergency healthcare services. By 1917, the hospital also provided obstetrical, x-ray, and laboratory services. Therefore, the Board of Directors renamed the hospital “Warren General Hospital,” to more accurately reflect the general medical services provided. As medicine advanced, the hospital quickly outgrew its quarters. Through a combination of funding obtained from the community and the Hill-Burton program, a new hospital was constructed on the same site in 1955.

Warren General Hospital continued to expand and renovate its quarters. Today, it is a vibrant community hospital providing not only essential services, such as emergency and primary care, but also a diverse spectrum of specialty services including cancer care, orthopedic, general and thoracic surgery, comprehensive rehabilitation, psychiatric and detoxification care, maternal-child health, and home health services. We continually seek to deliver state-of-the-art technology through our medical staff and our partnerships with other organizations. Through partnering with other organizations, we can diversify the services we provide and reach more members of our community.

In 2018, Warren General Hospital entered into a joint venture with Allegheny Health Network and LECOM Health to create a financially strong core for building new service lines, invest in new technology, and to establish new healthcare educational programs. While maintaining the hospital’s independence, the joint venture has allowed the hospital to invest in major infrastructure upgrades, ER renovation, Maternity renovation, a new linear accelerator for advanced radiation therapy, 3D mammography, a Da Vinci surgical robot, provide numerous specialties via telemedicine (neurology, pulmonology, endocrinology, rheumatology, maternal fetal medicine, cardiology), acquisition of Eye Care, Family Medicine, and OBGYN, and bring more than a dozen Medical Students annually for clinical rotations.

WARREN GENERAL HOSPITAL HISTORICAL TIMELINE

  • 1895 – April - Door of Hope opened at 215 Water Street. Operated by the Society of Christian Workers

  • 1897 – Door of Hope becomes Home of the Friendless and moves to Liberty Street

  • 1898 – March 28, 1898 - Chartered as Warren Emergency Hospital

  • 1900 – March 19, 1900 - first brick laid

  • 1900 – December 24, 1900 - open to first patients

  • 1901 – Chartered nursing school

  • 1903 – Nurses Training School graduates first class (three students)

  • 1906 – X-ray machine installed

    • First residence for nurses built

  • 1908 – Laundry and horse carriages added

  • 1916 – Second residence for nurses built

  • 1917-18 – Jefferson Memorial Maternity Hospital built

  • 1917 – Changed name to Warren General Hospital

  • 1931 – Begin using spinal anesthesia

  • 1938 – Had four female physicians on staff

  • 1941 – Nurses Training School closes due to financial constraints

  • 1951-53 – North wings constructed (laundry, x-ray, path, PT)

  • 1954 – Physiotherapy department created

  • 1962-65 – Emergency Room Construction

  • 1960s – Psych unit constructed (or renovated?)

  • 1980 – New outpatient registration and reception area adjacent to ER

  • 1985 – Laboratory renovation and expansion

  • 1986 – New Jefferson Pavilion Maternal and Child Health Center opens

  • 1997 – Target Tomorrow – expansion and renovation

    • TCC added

  • 1995 – Crescent Park Health Clinic opens

  • 1998 – Crescent Park Dental Clinic opens

  • 2003 – Cancer Care Center

  • 2007 – Ambulatory Surgery Center opens

  • 2018 – Joint Venture with Allegheny Health Network and LECOM Health

  • 2020 – Eye Care and Pediatric Rehab open

    • Linear Accelerator and 3D Mammography online

  • 2021 – Family Medicine joins the hospital

    • Tele-stroke/Tele-Neuro offered for inpatients

    • ER renovation

  • 2022 – OBGYN Clinic opens; Specialist Telemed Appointments begin (cardiology, pulmonology, rheumatology, endocrinology, maternal-fetal medicine)

  • 2023 – Surgical Robot

    • Pediatric Clinic opens

    • Maternity renovations