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the very beginning...
In 1920, moved by the tales of the medical care received by a young soldier returning to his Island home from the war in France, Prudence Reed Look asked, 'Why should not the Island have a hospital?' Wasting no time in answering her own question, on April 2, 1921, nine fellow Islanders voted to incorporate Martha's Vineyard Hospital. Originally located in the Hiram Daggett home in Eastville, the first hospital was opened June 10, 1922. Three hundred people came to the reception ceremony, but for two days no patients turned up. On day three the Hospital journal read, 'Somebody dropped in for surgery, nameless, but successful.'
In short order the Island community outgrew the small hospital and a new hospital, built on the current site, was opened in 1929. A maternity wing and a medical wing were added in 1953 followed by a new surgical suite in 1954. By the early 1970's, the island community had again outgrown its hospital and in 1974, the 'new' hospital as we know it, was completed.
a near-death experience
It is no secret that Martha's Vineyard Hospital has faced enormous challenges during its 80-year history, but none were more threatening to its very existence than what took place a few short years ago. In 1996, after years of floundering, Martha's Vineyard Hospital was forced to file for bankruptcy. It was a very sobering moment for all of us. For the first time in over 80 years we were faced with the very real possibility of the Vineyard being without a hospital. Thankfully, due to the efforts of a remarkable group of very dedicated and forward-thinking Islanders, the Hospital was pulled back from the precipice of financial oblivion and today we have a hospital that is operationally and financially stronger than at any time in its history.
what happened next
Like all near-death experiences, ours was transforming. Never again would we take for granted that the Hospital would always be here. After successfully emerging from bankruptcy in 1998, there was a renewed appreciation across the Island for how important our Hospital is to our Island community and how close it came to being lost. Within the institution, the experience awakened a new resolve for change. We realized that the only way to insure that the Hospital would never again be put in jeopardy was a total commitment to improving every aspect of hospital management and to the delivery of high-quality health care. In short, we set our vision on becoming one of the best small community hospitals to be found anywhere. The near loss of our hospital forced us to focus on the one thing that has never changed: we reside on an isolated island three miles off the East Coast and there are always going to be times when our very lives will be dependent on not just the existence, but the quality of our hospital.
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