New’ Blodgett Hospital Pays Tribute to History

While Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital celebrates its new addition and building renovations, its long history as a leading medical institution has not been forgotten.

The two year $98 million Blodgett Hospital expansion and renovation project officially opened to patients on October 10. A new Blodgett Hospital History Exhibit is located in the entryway to the patient care addition. It is dedicated to the leaders, physicians, staff and volunteers who have devoted their time, talent and energy to the hospital and its patients.

“Blodgett Hospital is steeped in a rich history and heritage. We want to celebrate and remind visitors and staff of that history while we enjoy our transformation into a hospital for the 21st century,” said James Wilson, president, Blodgett Hospital.

The exhibit’s timeline begins in 1846 and outlines the achievements and innovations that took place at Blodgett Hospital. Much of the content for the exhibit came from the book, The Good Cause in Which We Are Engaged, Blodgett Memorial Medical Center: 150 Years of Caring for the Community by Susan B. Lovell.

“The exhibit celebrates Blodgett Hospital’s pioneers of medicine and nursing care,” said Wilson. “It also includes our many volunteer guilds which have played a critical role in the success of the hospital.”

Blodgett Hospital is collecting photographs and artifacts that might be of historical value. Accepted donations will become a part of the hospital’s permanent record and preserved for future generations.

To experience the exhibit online, visit www.spectrum-health.org/blodgett_timeline

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan that offers a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, a collection of eight hospitals and more than 170 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group, mmpc® and West Michigan Heart—physician groups totaling more than 500 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with nearly 580,000 members. Spectrum Health’s 16,000 employees, 1,500 medical staff members and 2,000 volunteers are committed to delivering the highest quality care. The organization provided $79.4 million in community benefit during its 2009 fiscal year. In 2010, Spectrum Health was named a Top 10 Health System by Thomson Reuters.