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The Retreat for the Sick Becomes Norfolk Protestant Hospital

The Retreat for the Sick Becomes Norfolk Protestant Hospital

by | Oct 27, 2022

The 1890s ushered in change and growth at the Retreat for the Sick. In 1896, the hospital moved to a new, larger location in Norfolk. Then, in 1898, the directors renamed their facility the Norfolk Protestant Hospital and amended the hospital’s charter to reflect its...
Norfolk’s First Nursing School

Norfolk’s First Nursing School

by | Oct 27, 2022

By the 1890s, more caregivers were needed at the growing Norfolk Retreat for the Sick. Hattie Everingham, the superintendent, opened a two-year training school for nurses at the Retreat in 1892. The program accepted women aged 18 or older with a grammar school...
Providing Care and Education in Hampton

Providing Care and Education in Hampton

by | Oct 27, 2022

Alice Mabel Bacon moved to Hampton, Virginia, in the late 1880s. Born in New England to a prominent abolitionist family, Bacon began teaching at Hampton Institute, a college for freedmen. When she learned that no formal nursing school existed for Black Americans,...
Founding a “suitable hospital” in Norfolk

Founding a “suitable hospital” in Norfolk

by | Oct 27, 2022

In May 1888, the Norfolk Women’s Christian Association (WCA) met to discuss their vision for a new hospital. In an era when less than 200 hospitals existed nationwide, the WCA recognized the need for medical facilities in their growing community. Their goal was to...