Charity Care and Expansion at Norfolk General

by Justin Kirk | Oct 27, 2022

Through the 1950s, Norfolk General Hospital continued to operate as a charity organization. The hospital provided care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay—taking in over 50 percent of Norfolk’s indigent patients. To keep up with the costs of charity care and pay...

Louise Obici Memorial Hospital Opens in Suffolk

by Justin Kirk | Oct 27, 2022

Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici made Suffolk, Virginia, famous when he relocated his business, Planters Peanut Company, there in 1921. When his wife Louise died, Obici sought to honor her with a memorial that would also benefit his adopted community. In 1945, Obici set...

Virginia Beach’s First Hospital

by Justin Kirk | Oct 27, 2022

Virginia Beach gained popularity as a vacation spot in the 20th century, becoming a bustling community by the 1940s. With the nearest hospitals over 20 miles away in Norfolk, two local physicians recognized the need for a hospital in Virginia Beach. Dr. Waller Taylor...

Community Donations Improve Martha Jefferson Hospital

by Justin Kirk | Oct 27, 2022

In the early 20th century, donations from community members made many improvements at Virginia hospitals possible. For years, Martha Jefferson Hospital had used a horse-drawn wagon as an ambulance. In 1931, wealthy patron James Patterson donated a Cadillac to the...

A Modern Medical Facility

by Justin Kirk | Oct 27, 2022

Norfolk Protestant Hospital experienced rapid growth in the late 1920s—much of it due to the leadership of local businessman David Pender, who became president of the board of directors in 1926. Pender raised $300,000 for updates to the hospital, including new...