On Oct. 9, Doylestown Health honored the founders of Doylestown Hospital, the Village Improvement Association of Doylestown (VIA), and generations of people who have made the hospital what it is today.
The event commemorated the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the very first Doylestown Emergency Hospital on Oct. 9, 1923, and acknowledged the impact that the VIA and the community have had on the hospital and the health system – honoring past, present and bright future.
The community-wide inaugural Founder’s Day celebration featured the raising of a commemorative centennial flag, designed by a Doylestown Health Associate and chosen by the VIA, on the Doylestown Hospital campus. The Central Bucks High School West marching band and Lenape Middle School choir performed for those gathered, prior to remarks by Doylestown Health President and CEO James L. Brexler, as well as VIA President Helen Hammes and Marianne Chabot, chair of the boards, Doylestown Hospital and Doylestown Health Foundation.
In her remarks, Hammes noted, “In 1907 the women of the VIA started a hospital fund because they believed that quality health care could be provided close to home and that the citizens of Doylestown should stay in their own community whenever possible.”
That vision is realized today, as Chabot noted, “From Doylestown Emergency Hospital’s humble beginnings at Pine and Oakland 100 years ago, it has evolved to become the flagship hospital to our award-winning, comprehensive healthcare system – Doylestown Health.”
“We are a center of excellence for a number of specialties and achieve national recognition for quality and patient safety year after year … we are able to deliver high-quality health care in a setting that is not only state-of-the-art but offers comfort and personal attention,” Chabot added.
In his remarks, Brexler read from remarks given by Dr. Frank Swarztlander on Oct. 9, 1923, “This is the consummation of a long effort, we have the equipment for an eight-bed hospital, if you people have the gumption to run it. ... Then we will see it grow and grow and keep on growing until it comes to fill a place in the community that it will not be possible to do without.”
Brexler also spoke to the hospital’s future. “A century is a truly remarkable milestone for any organization,” he said. “Because of the extraordinary efforts of our VIA, the Doylestown community, generous partners, our incredible teams and all of you here today, we have prepared ourselves to harness all of these advancements and walk confidently into our second century.”
To read more about Doylestown Health’s history and the centennial milestone, visit dh100.org.
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