1890 - 1899
Dedication of the new Methodist Hospital consisted of a four-day celebration that began on Sunday, April 26, 1908, with church services throughout the state and ended on the morning of the 29th with a formal dedication service at the hospital.
A spirit of thanksgiving characterized the Sunday services. As The Good Samaritan explained, the statewide services gave every Methodist an opportunity to participate in the hospital dedication as well as an additional opportunity to make a voluntary “thank you offering” over “the completion of this great and beneficent institution, which during the week will begin its blessed ministry to the sick and the suffering ... “ Sunday in Indianapolis was marked by an
addi- tional event, an Epworth League rally at
the Roberts Park Methodist Church, where many
would recall the beginnings of an idea whose time
had now come. Dr. Halstead, who had labored so
long and faithfully as the first general secretary
of the hospital, was the principal speaker. The
Reverend Chasteen Smith, of Anderson, president
of the State Epworth League, presided.
Roberts Park Methodist Church was also the
scene of a mass meeting on Monday night with
the Reverend Dr. W.A. Quayle of Chicago as the
prin- cipal speaker. He was introduced by Indiana
Governor J. Frank Hanley, who presided.
1900 - 1909
At the turn of the century, the board of trustees selected the location that would become Methodist Hospital.
What was formerly Tinker Street Park, home of the Indianapolis Indians, at the corner of 16th St. and Capitol Ave., the site offered the perfect balance of accessibility to the community and room for expansion. Soon after, Indianapolis architectural firm Vonnegut and Bohn was contracted to draft the building plans.
In December 1903, $94,000 -- almost half of the money needed to construct the hospital -- had been raised, and in March 1905 the board of directors made the decision to start building. The cornerstone for Methodist Hospital was laid on Oct. 25, 1905. Nearly three years later in 1908 the hospital was open to the public. Patient fees started at $7.00 a week, and the hospital adopted a policy to care for the impoverished at no charge.
1910 - 1919
In 1910 Methodist Hospital was in desperate need of more space. In the previous 10 years the population of Indianapolis had increased by 65,000 people, and the hospital could not grow quickly enough to match the demand of the rapidly expanding population.
Adding to the excess of people in need of health care was the automobile. Traffic fatalities jumped from three in 1906 to 100 in 1915, not to mention the countless non-fatal injuries resulting from traffic accidents.
In an attempt to respond to the growing need of health care in Indianapolis, Methodist Hospital opened two new pavilions, one in 1913 and the second in 1916. This increased the number of total available hospital beds to 250 making Methodist Hospital the largest health care facility in the state.
1920 - 1929
The ‘20s brought a new group of patients to Methodist Hospital as the pop culture of the era presented a new list of hazards. Prohibition led to alcohol poisoning from bootleg booze, organized crime led to an increase in injuries caused by violence, and the automobile became even more popular when Ford Motor Company offered payment plans. Each of these new hazards drove more patients to Methodist Hospital.
Adding to the growing patient demand, Methodist was one of only 10 regional hospitals selected to administer insulin during its testing period in 1922.
By 1925 Indianapolis was short an estimated 400 hospital beds, and in 1927 Methodist Hospital reported only five weeks when they were capable of accommodating everyone seeking health care. In 1927 alone, Methodist Hospital treated 12,000 patients including 8,882 surgical cases and a reported 787 births.
As a result of the strong public demand, in December 1927 the board of trustees approved plans for what would be an eight-story, 400 room annex at a cost of more than $1 million. Only months later, Methodist Hospital was ranked among the 10 largest hospitals in the United States and with the completion of the new annex the hospital would have a capacity for 600 beds.
1930 - 1939
As the fifth major addition to the hospital, the Julius A. Hanson Memorial Unit opened on May 12, 1930
making Methodist Hospital the largest Methodist hospital in the world. To accommodate for such a large facility a new method of filing patient medical records was installed in 1932 after the approval of the American Hospital Association. In that same year a hotel was established on the main floor of the hospital. The new overnight accommodations provided a comfortable place for patient families to stay within a moment’s call of their loved ones.
Mary Hanson Carey donated the Lighthouse of Health Beacon that is still on top of Methodist hospital today, and on Nov. 9, 1933 the beacon was switched on for the first time. Designed to let the world know, “this is a haven of health,” the beacon was formally dedicated, “to the servants of religion who would serve the sick, to the servants of medical science who would serve humanity and to the servants of philanthropy who would live for others.”
As Methodist Hospital continued to grow The Depression set in and cash payments were often replaced with bartered items. Hospital Superintendent Dr. Benson was quoted as saying, “Since we opened our hospital farm we have taken in hogs, chickens and farm produce as payment on hospital bills. Our latest deal was when we took 16,000 strawberry plants in payment for a bill.”
Through this financially trying time Methodist Hospital continued to work for the improved health of the public and in 1935 began enlisting Hoosiers to get yearly checkups. This is now known as preventative medicine.
1940 - 1949
The ‘40s brought the baby boomers to Methodist, and in July 1941, 15 babies were born within a 24-hour period at the hospital. In 1947 alone, 4,788 babies were born under the care of Methodist Hospital staff. During this time of unprecedented birth rates, Methodist established the first premature birth station in the state.
Also within this decade, in 1945, for the first time in hospital history, the hospital’s debt of over $1 million was paid in full.
By 1949, 50 years after the 1899 incorporation of Methodist Hospital, 697,367 patients had been treated and 50,330 babies had been born all within the walls of Methodist.
1950 - 1959
As time passed the population of Indianapolis continued to grow and the inability for hospital expansion to keep up with the needs of the community continued. By 1953, the waiting list for elective patients was 75 days.
Even under the strenuous demands of the public, the hospital continued to uphold its policy to treat people regardless of their ability to pay for care. Patients were treated on a first come first serve basis, and the patient’s ability to pay was not discussed until after the patient had been admitted and treatment was underway.
Finally, in 1953, the IHDA launched a city wide campaign to raise money for health care in Indianapolis. Of the $12 million collected, $3.28 million was allotted to Methodist Hospital. The money was use to fund a building program that opened Sept. 18, 1959. The expansion included a new 208-bed hospital unit to accommodate the needs of Indianapolis residents.
1960 - 1969
Just one week after Methodist Hospital had its first disaster drill, a collapse of a make-shift scaffolding at the Indianapolis 500 tested the hospital’s capability to deal with a real disaster. 50 injury victims were treated at Methodist Hospital. After hours of diligent work by the Methodist staff, the last surgery was completed at 10 p.m. In all, 29 patients were admitted as a result of the event.
As medical technology continued to advance Methodist Hospital opened its first intensive care unit in 1963. In its first six weeks of operation the 19 bed unit admitted 91 patients.
Later that year the intensive care unit would play a vital role in response to another Indianapolis disaster. On Halloween night 1963, as an audience of 4,327 people watched the Holiday on Ice Show at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, a butane gas leak caused an explosion. In response to the incident, Methodist treated 120 patients and admitted 65, some of who were admitted to the intensive care unit and would remain in the hospital for months.
1970 - 1979
The ‘70s were an era of advancement in health care at Methodist Hospital. On Jan. 1, 1972, Methodist became the first hospital in Indiana to perform a kidney transplant and one of the first private hospitals in the nation to develop an organ transplant program. By 1977 the hospital had performed 120 kidney transplants.
As Methodist made advancements in new medical procedures, the hospital also implemented new medical technology. In 1974 Methodist Hospital installed its first CAT scanner; at the time it was one of only nine in the nation.
During this same period Methodist began experimenting with a helicopter emergency service, and in 1979 the emergency service now known as LifeLine was established as a vital aspect of the hospital’s emergency care and trauma center.
1980 - 1989
As new technology pushed the field of medicine forward, Methodist Hospital continued to be a home to medical breakthroughs and achievements. Between 1984 and the end of the decade, the Institute for Kidney Stone Disease served over 7,000 patients. During that time, in 1982, Methodist was home to the first heart transplant in Indiana, and only two years later Indiana’s first lung transplant was performed at Methodist Hospital.
At the end of the decade, in a continuation of Methodist Hospital’s history of diabetes research, Joslin Diabetes Center selected Methodist Hospital to be its first comprehensive regional clinic to offer diabetes education. The Methodist-Joslin initiative launched a study to further improve the lives of diabetics with a low-dose insulin treatment.
1990 - 1999
In response to the growing cost of health care, Methodist Hospital looked to expand its presence by collaborating with physicians and physician groups in the Indianapolis and surrounding area. In 1994 Methodist reorganized itself as “Methodist Health Group.”
Two years later in 1996 the Methodist Health Group board of directors and the Indiana University board of trustees chose to unite Methodist Hospital with Indiana University Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children into a $1.1 billion private, not-for-profit health care system.
The proposed union included the recognition that each of the three hospitals would retain their original name. Nevertheless, the new organization required its own identity, reflected in the new name of Clarian.
2000 -
The turn of the century was a time for new ideas and innovations at Methodist Hospital. As Clarian Health consolidated and linked its health care network Methodist Hospital continued to receive national recognition for its accomplishments.
In 2002, U.S.News and World Report named Methodist in its “Best Hospitals Guide”, the World Health Organization designated Methodist as Indiana’s first “Baby-Friendly Hospital,” and the Head & Neck Surgery Center at the hospital was the state’s first to use the Mobetron, the world’s first mobile, self-shielded electron linear accelerator.
The same principles that molded Methodist Hospital nearly 100 years ago are still represented today. Methodist is invested in reaching out to promote health in the community, devoted to researching new breakthroughs in medicine, and is continuing to strive for excellence in health care.
