Walla Walla General Hospital

Walla Walla General Hospital
Adventist Health
Geography
Location Walla Walla, Washington, United States
Organization
Care system Private
Funding Non-profit hospital
Services
Beds 72
History
Founded 1899
Links
Website http://www.wwgh.com
Lists Hospitals in Washington

Walla Walla General Hospital is a 72-bed acute-care hospital located at the base of the Blue Mountains serving approximately 70,000 residents of Southeastern Washington and Northeastern Oregon.

History

In 1899, Isaac and Maggie Dunlap returned to the Walla Walla Valley after completing studies at the Battle Creek Sanitarium located in Michigan. They opened treatment rooms in the basement of the administration building at Walla Walla College. During the first year, some 3,000 patients were treated. In 1903, they built a structure that doubled as their home and a sanitarium and in 1906, they purchased the old College Place public schoolhouse. This structure was moved to the Walla Walla College campus, hoisted up and a new first floor was built underneath it. It was dedicated on June 3, 1907. [1]

The first female physician, Dr. Runck, joined staff in 1910 and within the next few years extensive improvements were made to the “department devoted to women’s medicated baths.” The building was expanded three times in 12 years and by the early 1920s the sanitarium had grown to a three-story building.[1]

In 1925, a group of local physicians opened a rival hospital. Built at the cost of $200,000, it contained the latest in medical equipment and facilities. However, the Great Depression caused the rival hospital to go bankrupt and it was auctioned in a sheriff’s sale in 1931, and was purchased by the Walla Walla Sanitarium for $75,000.[1]

The 1940s saw a boom in census after the lean years of the Great Depression. In the hospital’s 1943 annual report, the manager stated that bed capacity was 53, with an average of 49.6 patients per day. In 1950, the community was challenged to raise one-third of the proposed $385,000 needed for expansion. A new west wing was added in 1956, and in the 1960s, the hospital was remodeled and technologically updated.[1]

In the early 1970s, another renovation was necessary. The needs of the institution, now known as Walla Walla General Hospital (WWGH), were presented to the community and they pledged one-third of the needed $750,000. The hospital board also decided to relocate entirely than build onto the original building. During the process, WWGH joined Adventist Health on December 9, 1973. On September 18, 1975, groundbreaking ceremonies were held at WWGH’s current location. Two years later, on July 10, 1977, the grand opening of the new facility was held.[1]

In June 2001 a surprise FDA inspection found problems with the technical controls in the hospital's autologous blood bank[2] and further problems were found in December 2002, but a followup in April 2003 verified that all the problems had been corrected.[3]

In the news

Jan. 26 2007—Portland Business Journal--"Knittel appointed leader of Walla Walla General Hospital" [4]

May 1, 2004—Inspection Monitor--"Adventist Health Walla Walla General Hospital shows complete recovery" [3]

Feb. 6 1967—Ellensburg Daily Record--"Adventists in Northwest since 1862" [5]

Affiliation

Walla Walla General Hospital is part of Adventist Health, a health care organization headquartered in Roseville, California. Adventist Health represents regional delivery networks spanning California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. The networks comprise 85 distinct business units including 20 acute care facilities—controlled, managed or leased—with more than 3,000 beds, 17,000 employees, numerous clinics and outpatient facilities, medical foundations and 18 home health agencies.[6]


See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Our History
  2. ↑ "Calibration, temperature control snare blood center". Validation Times. August 1, 2001. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  3. 1 2 "Adventist Health Walla Walla General Hospital shows complete recovery". Inspection Monitor. May 1, 2004. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  4. ↑ "Knittel appointed leader of Walla Walla General Hospital". Portland Business Journal. Jan 26, 2007. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  5. ↑ "Adventists in Northwest since 1862". Ellensburg Daily Record. Feb 6, 1967. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  6. ↑ Adventist Health: About Us
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