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.