Since its founding in 1958, Washington Hospital Healthcare System has been an integral part of Alameda County. Today, it offers high-quality, innovative medical care to over 350,000 residents — including cardiac, pulmonary, obstetric, and surgical services. On the eve of its 60th birthday, Canopy Health wishes Washington Hospital Healthcare System continuing success.
Honoring Washington Hospital’s Past
When Washington Hospital opened in 1958, it was a modest district hospital with 150 beds serving a community of 18,000 people. As time passed, it shifted from a facility that focused on hospital services to one offering increasingly advanced treatment and specialty care to a growing region.
Significant moments in Washington Hospital’s history include:
- 1963: Its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) opens — the first unit opened west of the Mississippi that isn’t associated with a teaching facility.
- 1974: The hospital completes a six-floor addition, increasing Washington Hospital’s number of beds to 265.
- 1984: Washington Hospital brings local cancer treatment to Alameda County.
- 1985: The Washington Outpatient Surgery Center opens.
- 1986: The hospital performs its first open-heart surgery. That same year, the hospital’s Outpatient Catheterization Lab and the Washington Outpatient Rehabilitation Center open.
- 1997: Washington Hospital’s new MRI center scans its first patient.
- 1999: The Joint Replacement Center opens, pioneering minimally invasive hip surgeries in the Bay Area.
- 2001: The Washington-Stanford Sleep Disorder and Radiation-Oncology Centers open.
- 2007: The hospital celebrates the opening of its new Women’s Center, expands the Outpatient Imaging Center, and becomes the first hospital outside of Europe to use the Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion system to treat brain disorders.
- 2008: The Taylor McAdam Bell Neurosciences Institute hosts its grand opening and dedication ceremony. The hospital also begins the first stage of its ongoing renovation project.
- 2010: Washington Hospital’s stroke, joint replacement, and community cancer programs receive national honors for their quality of care and attention to detail.
- 2011: The hospital receives its Magnet®-status designation, recognizing its superior patient care and nursing practices. Healthgrades names the Center for Joint Replacement as the top joint replacement program in California.
- 2012: The Women’s Center is named a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence.
- 2014: The Joint Commission awards Washington Hospital a three-year, unconditional accreditation.
- 2016: The American College of Surgeons honors the hospital with a Commission on Cancer Outstanding Achievement Award.
While this list is impressive, it doesn’t fully reflect the degree to which Washington Hospital Healthcare System impacts Alameda County. The hospital serves as the county’s healthcare hub, offering comprehensive medical services to the community and improving countless lives.
Celebrating the Hospital’s Current Success
Today, Washington Hospital has 341 beds and is one of the Bay Area’s best regarded hospitals. For the past three years, Healthgrades has given Washington Hospital its Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award, finding its quality of care, mortality, and complication rates are in the top 5% of hospitals. It also received Healthgrades’ 2018 America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement Award and America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery Award.
Additionally, Washington Hospital Healthcare System has partnered with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), giving Alameda residents local access to UCSF’s world-renowned cardiac, cancer, pediatric, and other specialty services.
Building Its Future
In 2009, Washington Hospital Healthcare System began an ambitious facility renovation and rebuild. That process is still ongoing, but the hospital already boasts a new power plant and a new Center for Joint Replacement building. It is currently constructing the Morris Hyman Critical Care Pavilion, which will house a new Emergency Department (that is quadrupled in size) and two floors of critical care and surgery beds. A new inpatient tower will be completed within the next decade.
The hospital is also focused on improving health outcomes in Alameda County. Every three years, it completes a Community Health Needs Assessment. In its 2016 Assessment report and 2017 Implementation Plan, Washington Hospital focused on seven of Alameda County’s key health needs:
- Asthma
- Behavioral Health
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke
- Maternal and Child Health
- Obesity/Diabetes/Healthy Living
- Violence/Injury Prevention.
The hospital is creating initiatives focusing on community education, outreach, and institutional improvements that will empower Alameda residents and give them access to even better care in these areas.
Washington Hospital: An Essential Part of Canopy Health’s Alliance
Washington Hospital Healthcare System is an important resource for Canopy Health members in Alameda County. We are proud that the hospital and its dedicated and skilled team of providers are part of our Bay Area healthcare alliance.
