** Blodgett Hospital History **
Blodgett Memorial Medical Center began in 1846 with a small group of women who wanted to ease the human suffering they saw around them in the village of Grand Rapids. Headed by Mrs. Charlotte Cuming and Mrs. M.E. Church, a formal constitution was signed, thus creating The Female Union Charitable Association. This association was designed to bring kindness and healing to residents in the area and was housed in a one-and-a-half story "cottage" near the corner of LaGrave and Oakes Streets.
In 1869, a large plot of land on the corner of College and Lyon was given to the society by Mrs. Mary G. Wood. Despite the gift of land, the society could not afford to build on it. Instead, they rented a tenement on Fountain Street to carry out their work.
As the society continued to flourish, the women felt the need to have a building which would accommodate the sick, old and unhealthy. In 1873, the society shortened their name to the Union Benevolent Association (U.B.A.) and allowed men to participate for the first time. With the addition of men, the society could afford an old house on the west side of Bostwick south of Lyon. In December 1874, the restored house was reborn as the Union Benevolent Association Home, housing 25 people.
After 12 successful years in the small house, the society proposed building a bigger, more health-oriented facility. With several donations and contributions from the now populous city of Grand Rapids, a Victorian building was erected on the plot of land given to the society. By 1895, two operating rooms, obstetrics, and a children's ward helped evolve the U.B.A into a full-fledged hospital.
In May 1914, John Blodgett Sr. and his wife Minnie Cumnock Blodgett donated both land and money to build a new five-story, 126-bed U.B.A. Hospital. The property on Plymouth Road at Wealthy Street (Sherman Street would be added later) would become the Blodgett Memorial Hospital, as a tribute to John Blodgett's late mother Jane Wood Blodgett.
** Achievements **
* 1916
Blodgett Hospital is established at the current location of the Spectrum Health Blodgett Campus.
* 1920
The first plastic surgery training program in the country is established by Blodgett.
* 1921
Nationally recognized medical education program is launched, and the first interns come on staff at Blodgett.
* 1933
The second orthopedic residency program in the United States is founded by Blodgett.
* 1949
25 beds are added.
* 1951
331 beds are added. Housing is provided for interns and their families.
* 1953
130 beds are added.
* 1973
A three-story professional building and four-level parking ramp are added. The hospital is rechristened as Blodgett Memorial Medical Center.
* 1886–1987
Blodgett's nursing school, the second to open in the state, operated for 101 years.
* 1989
A $4 million, two-story office facility for 25 doctors at Breton Road and 44th Street is built.
** Clinical Achievements **
* 1916
The first surgery—an emergency appendectomy on a freshman student nurse—is performed at the newly finished Blodgett Hospital.
* 1920
First pediatrics service is offered at Blodgett.
* 1930
Mary Free Bed Hospital is established. The idea originated as a public appeal asking anyone in Grand Rapids who had a Mary in their family to give 10 cents in support of one "free bed."
* 1948
West Michigan's first successful aortic splice is performed.
* 1959
First open-heart surgery ever performed in this area is completed successfully.
* 1976
The first electron microscope in Grand Rapids is installed.
* 1979
The West Michigan Burn Unit is dedicated.
* 1980
The Reye's Syndrome Treatment Team is organized.
* 1981
The first surgical laser is purchased.
* 1983
The first microvascular reconstructive surgery is performed.
* 1983
West Michigan's first in-vitro fertilization is performed.
* 1985
Cardiac catheterization lab is opened.
* 1986
The first freestanding outpatient surgery facility in Grand Rapids is opened.
* 1986
The first hypothermia treatment for cancer is performed.
* 1987
A new ultrasound probe is purchased to screen for prostate cancer.
* 1988
The first angioplasty in West Michigan is performed.
* 1988
The Western Michigan Arthritis Institute is formed by Blodgett.
* 1989
The Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit, the first of its kind in the city, is opened.
* 1989
Somotom Plus is installed, a 3-D CAT scan.
* 1991
Digital angiography is introduced.
* 1992
The first nuclear imaging, triple-head SPECT camera is installed.
* 1992
Reed City Hospital and Ferguson Hospital merge with Blodgett Hospital.
