MelroseWakefield Hospital is a 174-bed non-profit hospital located in Melrose, Massachusetts. MelroseWakefield Hospital is affiliated with Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford. MelroseWakefield Hospital provides many different areas of patient care including surgery, cardiology, maternity, orthopedics, endoscopy, and emergency services.
MelroseWakefield Hospital was home to the world's first cochlear implant and laser surgery and it was among the first hospitals in the country to offer same day surgery. It is also among the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for stroke care and the top 15% in the nation for heart attack treatment.
Following a failed merger attempt with Boston-based Partners Healthcare, MelroseWakefield's parent company Hallmark Health announced in June 2016 that it was seeking approval to merge with Wellforce, the operator of Tufts Medical Center in Boston and Lowell General Hospital in Lowell. As a result of the merger, Melrose-Wakefield Hospital was renamed to remove the hyphen in its name and its former parent company Hallmark Health was renamed MelroseWakefield Healthcare, a member of Wellforce.
History
1893–1900: Beginnings
On July 28, 1893, the Melrose Hospital Association was established with forty-eight corporate members at the home of Decius Beebe on West Foster Street in Melrose, Massachusetts. The bylaws of the Association stated that the purpose for which the Association is constituted is to establish and maintain a hospital for the treatment and care of needy, sick and disabled persons of both sexes, and also of persons who may be able to pay for such treatment in whole or in part; such receipts to be used in the partial support of the hospital.
At first, the hospital was not fully self-sufficient, with the city often appropriating a sum of money towards its yearly expenses. During its beginnings, every third Sunday in May, local area churches collected contributions to support the hospital. In addition, the Hospital Guild, formed during the hospital's first year, held several fairs as fundraisers.
The first hospital was in a former residence located at 39 Oakland Street, but it soon became too small for the association's needs so it purchased and moved to a home at 75 Myrtle Street. In 1894, the association purchased a plot of land on the corner of Lebanon and Porter Streets at 585 Lebanon Street where it moved to in 1913, and remains today. Also in 1894, the Melrose Hospital School of Nursing opened in order to assure a continuous source of qualified labor.
1950–1979: Expansion
In 1950, the trustees, administrators, and employees publicly rededicated themselves to the mission of providing a "modern, standardized and well-equipped" community hospital. A separate emergency room was created with a full-time nurse in charge and nursing assistants were integrated into hospital operations. A new surgical wing was built and the Colby Pavilion wing was completely remodeled. To deal with the Post-World War II baby boom, more maternity beds were added and the Children's Ward expanded bringing bed capacity to 187.
In 1958, the hospital officially changed its name to "Melrose-Wakefield Hospital" to reflect the increasing utilization of its services by neighboring Wakefield, Massachusetts.
In 1965, the hospital named Jane Bain, a graduate of the School of Nursing, as director of the school. Under her direction, improvements were made in the School of Nursing's curriculum and facilities and a building at 340 Main Street was purchased for classrooms and a dormitory. The curriculum was expanded to include para-medical training for patient care and surgical technicians and led to the founding of the Physical Therapy Department, Electro-Encephalography Unit and an array of ambulatory psychiatric services.
In 1967, Melrose-Wakefield opened its intensive care unit (ICU). The four-bed unit was one of the nation's first ICUs at a community hospital.
During the late-1960s and early-1970s, a shift to outpatient treatment began in hospitals throughout the nation. In response, Melrose-Wakefield introduced a number of outpatient programs, including a breast cancer detection clinic, a cardiopulmonary testing laboratory, an occupational therapy unit, and a host of services provided by home health nurses. As part of its outpatient services, the hospital became one of the first hospitals in the nation to offer same day surgery. In 1973, the hospital became the first in Massachusetts to offer a state-supervised course for the training of emergency medical technicians (EMTs)