Dignity Health — Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center in Southern California is celebrating its centennial with community-focused celebrations and by completing 100 acts of kindness.
In mid-January the hospital held its centennial kickoff, which featured a community event with hospital, Catholic Church, and city dignitaries; a performance by the Glendale High School dance team; and a reception. The hospital also started 100 acts of kindness in January, collecting blankets for people experiencing homelessness.
The hospital also celebrated the arrival of the first delivery of its anniversary year. Hayli Cataleya was born at 7:27 a.m. Jan. 13. The hospital gave her a onesie with its centennial logo.
On Jan. 13, 1926, Physicians and Surgeons Hospital opened with 47 beds. Six Glendale community members had founded the facility with a vision to expand health care services in the growing suburb of Los Angeles. In 1938, the facility incorporated as a nonprofit hospital. It expanded to 110 beds in 1942. In the 1950s, the hospital changed its name to Memorial Hospital of Glendale. It grew to 220 beds in 1957 and to 310 beds in 1972. It since was renamed Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center, became part of Dignity Health, and grew to 334 beds. Dignity Health joined with Catholic Health Initiatives in 2019 to form CommonSpirit Health.
The community hospital serves more than 70,000 patients annually. It has an award-winning heart center and stroke program and is a colorectal surgery center of excellence.