Celebrating 100 Years of Grand View Hospital

  Grand View Hospital will celebrated it's 100th anniversary 2013. From it's meager begins of a few rooms and several staff members to the state of the art facility it has become today.  The Grand idea of Grandview Hospital had it's origins with a conversation. This conversation took place between three physicians, Dr. Walter J. Brown, Dr. William J. Wilkinson and Dr. Alfred Fretz. They presented these ideas to the North Penn Clinic Society. At that point in time the North Penn Clinic Society serviced the area from Quakertown to Lansdale. The interest in establishing a hospital in the region was widely excepted and the result was the purchase of land in West Rrockhill Township owned by Dr.James Pursell in August of 1913.

    It was said that the statue of William Penn could be seen from the upper quarters of the Pursell house. What a Grand View it was. This view gave the estate it's name Grand View. This is how the hospital acquired it's name.

     In September of 1913 the Grand View Hospital Association was founded. With only eight thousand dollars in renovations Grand View Hospital was born. The new hospital had eight patient rooms, one operating room, a bathroom, one office, and a kitchen. The kitchen, however was not used for cooking meals rather for cooking utensil.... The sterilization of all instruments use by the hospital. Meals came from outside the hospital, from community volunteers that delivered meals to the hospital daily, not until the new kitchen was built in 1929 were meals prepared on site. Much of the furnishings in the rooms and office were donated by local residents.  And laundry was taken home and cleaned by the physicians. A handful of nurses covered the day shift and physicians were required to cover at night and be on call at all times.The hospital came into existence none to soon because in 1913 soon after their doors opened there was a typhoid outbreak in Selllesville. Several patients were successfully treated including one of their own physicians. By 1914 the new hospital had admitted and treated 100 patience. WWI created major shortages and the local community pitched in to help. Local farmers donated food and housewives donated canned goods and made meals. Just a few years later in 1918 Grand View saw another out break this time Spanish Influenza, because of this outbreak the entire region was quarantined. WWII brought more difficulties with a shortage of staff members when 14 physicians and 23 nurses answered the call to duty. As with the previous war there came many shortages in food, textiles and other supplies. Once again the residents of West Rockhill came to the rescue with donations. 

       Grand View Hospital saw rapid growth and many changes in health care during the 50's and 60's. Surgery in the early part of the century consisted of a surgeon, a stand by physician and a nurse, Physicians did not wear gloves and antibiotics were virtually non existent. People relied on home remedies and antiquated drugs and equipment, this was no longer the case,  new technology had been developed to treat many types of illness such as: cancer, heart disease and degenerative diseases. Grand View adjusted to the changing times by creating specialized fields in pediatrics, obstetrics, orthopedics and many more. By 1955 Grand View celebrated it's 10,000 birth. And, the  growth continues to this day, Today Grand View covers over 70 acres and employee's 1500 people. They have outpatient facilities in Harleysville, Selllersville,Pennsburg, Quakertown and Upper Bucks. As witnessed through out it's history the people of this region and Grand View hospital are intricately entwined.