Did You know…
…Edward Hospital’s history began on January 15, 1907 when Edward Sanitorium was founded by Eudora Hull Gaylord Spalding on a 37-acre site near Naperville? The Sanitorium was a memorial to her first husband, Edward Gaylord, who died of tuberculosis. The infectious disease is caused by bacteria and generally affects the lungs but can also impact other parts of the body.
Edward Sanitorium – A Model of Success
Edward Sanitorium was one of the first treatment for tuberculosis in the Great Lakes region and became a model for other such centers in the nation. It flourished in the 1930s thanks in great part to the financial support and leadership of Joy Morton, the owner of the Morton Salt Company and founder of The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.
From a Sanitorium to a Hospital
Medical advances and new drugs brought an end to Tuberculosis in the 1950s. As a result, the sanitorium’s board of directors voted to turn Edward Sanitorium into Edward Hospital. On October 1, 1955, with 45 beds, Edward Hospital officially opened its doors. The hospital’s first patient was 23-month old Frederich Maurer, Jr., who was brought in after he was kicked by a horse. Today, the hospital is a full-service, regional healthcare provider with 352 private patient rooms and is part of the Edward-Elmhurst Health system created in 2013, when Edward Hospital & Health Services and Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare merged to become one of the larger integrated health systems in Illinois.
