Honoring 150 Years
Enjoy this video of the flag raising event at Newport Hospital.
Newport Hospital was founded in 1873 by our Newport County community members who saw a need to bring high quality, life-saving healthcare to their neighborhood. Today, more than 150 years later, our small cottage hospital has grown into a 129-bed award-winning facility offering a wide range of medical services to the people of Newport County and beyond.
On November 22, 2023 Newport Hospital officially turned 150 years old! This milestone moment was commemorated with staff, donors, nursing school alumni, community members and volunteers on November 16. Former Newport Hospital presidents including Arthur Sampson (1994-2009), Bob Healey (1974-1994) and the family of William Turner (1944-1974) attended the event.
Enjoy this video of the flag raising event at Newport Hospital.
Throughout the years, countless milestones and accomplishments have marked the rich history of the hospital. Here are some of the most noteworthy:
Founded and funded by local residents and its community in 1873, Newport Hospital begins operation as a 12-bed cottage hospital on donated land.
The Newport Hospital School of Nursing opened in February 1886 with six female pupils. The school closed in 1990.
In 1903, Alice Vanderbilt donated a building to Newport Hospital, now known as the Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center.
Alice Vanderbilt's gift added 34 beds to the hospital, including the first children's ward.
On August 16, 1970, US Senator Clairborne Pell delivered the dedicatory address at the opening of the Tower Building (a new multi-story hospital building) at Newport Hospital.
The success of the "Beyond the Building" campaign in 2018 enables Newport Hospital to extensively renovate and expand its emergency department, nearly doubling the number of treatment rooms.
Founded and funded by local residents and its community, Newport Hospital begins operation as a 12-bed cottage hospital on donated land. Henry Ledyard, a founding incorporator and trustee, is the hospital’s first president.
The Newport Hospital School of Nursing opens in February with six female pupils.
Newport Hospital embarks on its first major expansion. The biggest change comes in the form of new, well-equipped operating rooms to accommodate advances in surgery and the increase in women who were opting to have their babies in a hospital instead of at home.
Alice Vanderbilt, a summer resident of Newport, donates a building to the hospital, now known as the Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center. This gift adds 34 beds to the hospital, including the first children's ward.
Newport Hospital treats 181 cases of influenza during the 1918-19 pandemic, with staff often working around the clock and to the detriment of their own health.
The hospital's X-ray department undergoes a modernization of equipment, introduing a 200 kilovolt therapy machine.
A new addition to the hospital—the Borden building—is completed. Today this space houses psychiatry, child and adolescent behavioral health, the partial hospitalization program, the Cardiovascular Institute, infectious disease, general surgery, and neurology.
Newport Hospital becomes the first hospital in Rhode Island to offer a 40 hour work week for nurses.
Realizing they could no longer continue to repair and remodel the hospital, trustees begin to develop a master plan for meeting the future needs of the hospital. The plan recommended a new multi-story hospital building (Tower Building), which would receive approval to move forward in early 1966.
On August 16, 1970, the opening of the new hospital is marked with tours and a dedication day, with U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell delivering the dedicatory address.
Newport Hospital opens a mental health center.
Newport Hospital becomes a partner in the Brown University Health health system.
A new wing opens at Newport Hospital, and the hospital partners with the nearby Naval Station Newport to offer services to the military.
Newport Hospital first received Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Of more than 5,000 hospitals in the United States, only about 4 percent are Magnets. Newport is currently one of only a tiny handful of hospitals worldwide to achieve four consecutive Magnet designations.
Newport Hospital is designated as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission.
Thanks to the success of the $12.5 million “Beyond the Building” campaign, the hospital’s emergency department undergoes an extensive expansion and renovation, nearly doubling the number of treatment rooms and overall footprint.
Amid the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, individuals, families, businesses and community groups rally around Newport Hospital, expressing their gratitude to frontline workers and helping to re-energize hospital staff with donations of delicious meals, special treats, and thoughtful cards and handmade signs.
Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center at Newport Hospital begins a transformative expansion—making it the flagship inpatient rehabilitation center for all of Brown University Health.
Consider making a gift to help support the future of Newport Hospital.
In 2023 we celebrated the hospital’s 150th year through a series of events to honor the role of Newport Hospital in our community and the generations of supporters, providers, and friends who have made it possible to access top-notch healthcare close to home.
The summer evening game took place at Cardines Field, 20 America's Cup Ave in Newport, RI.
An evening of fun and appreciation was held at Belle Mer on Goat Island Road in Newport, RI.
This ten-mile run/walk was sponsored in part by Newport Hospital. It started and finished at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI.
Newport Hospital was a sponsor of the Behan Bros. Newport Night Run. The runners and walkers started and finished their 5K effort from Rogers High School, 15 Wickham Road, Newport, RI 02840.
Newport Hospital employees and families marched in Newport's 67th St. Patrick's Day Parade. The team constructed a float modeled after the hospital and donned green Newport Hospital apparel and historical nurses uniforms to showcase their Newport Hospital pride and celebrate the festivities.
Newport Hospital employees and their families enjoyed this annual winter tradition in the City by the Sea.
A portion of the evening's proceeds provided Haven Boxes for Newport Hospital. Haven Boxes provide comfortable clothing, self-care products, and reporting and therapy resources for victims of sexual assault.
This event was sponsored in part by Newport Hospital. The Pie Run has been a Thanksgiving Day tradition in Newport since 1985. The Newport County YMCA hosts this day of walking and running, along with collecting food and donations to address needs in the community.
Third Beach, 804 Third Beach Road, Middletown, RI 02842 was part of the right-of-way cleanup that happened around Rhode Island. Newport Hospital employees volunteered for this cleanup event to help keep our coastline clean for the next 150 years and beyond.
Newport Hospital was a proud sponsor for the event, right in our backyard on Broadway.
Newport Hospital sponsored this annual harvest event with its crafts, music and competitions. The festivities were held at 583 Third Beach Road, Middletown, RI.
Newport Hospital sponsored the series held at Easton's Beach, Newport, RI.
A crowd gathered and applauded as the commemorative flag, marking the hospital's one and one-half century of services, was raised in front of the Newport Hospital Main Entrance, on 20 Powel Avenue, Newport, RI 02840.
It was a good night of baseball as the Gulls extended their home winning streak on a night Newport Hospital was recognized and appreciated. The game was played on Cardines Field, 20 America's Cup Avenue, Newport, RI 02840.