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1896: Salem Hospital treated its first patient, sewing
machine salesman Fred Demeler, in January at the five-bed
converted school.
1916: Franz B. Wedel and four Mennonite deaconesses
buy the Capitol Hotel at 665 Winter St. SE (Salem Hospital’s
current location) and establish Salem Deaconess Hospital and
Home.
1917: Salem Hospital breaks ground for a new building
at 2561 Center St. NE. However, the campaign to raise funds
for the new facility fails, and construction stops.
1919: Staff at Salem Deaconess treat 664 patients,
including a butcher, shipbuilder and a couple of weavers.
1927: Salem Hospital changes its name to Salem General
Hospital.
1938: Charles S. Campbell, Salem's first accredited
specialist in internal medicine, begins to practice.
1943: Almost half of the professional staff at both
hospitals are sent to serve in World War II. The Red Cross
trains students and volunteers as nurse aides.
1947: Mennonites turn Deaconess Hospital over to board
of Salem citizens. Deaconess changes its name to Salem Memorial
Hospital.
1953: General Hospital Unit breaks ground for the
Morse building. Memorial auxiliary holds first High Fever
Follies as a fund raiser
1954: Television sets installed in patient rooms.
1964: Flood. Patients evacuated.
1965: Memorial Unit publishes the first issue of its
newsletter The Messenger.
1969: General announced merger with Memorial. Board
adopts Salem Hospital name. Maternity services centralized
at General; emergency room at Memorial.
1987: All acute care services consolidated at Memorial.
1991: The Hospital adopts a smoke free policy.
1996: Salem Hospital celebrated 100 years of service
to the community.
1997: The Sr. Anna Duerksen Care Unit opens on 6 South.
Ground is broken for the new Center for Outpatient Medicine.
1998: A new 552-space parking structure opens.
2000: Center for Outpatient Medicine opens.
Compiled by Cynthia Harvey and Monica Mersinger
Bibliography:
Salem Public Hospital Patient Information Guide, published
2000
A Century of Service, Salem Hospital 1896-1996 by John McMillan
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