On April 14, 1903, a wet and rainy
day, the Sisters of St. Joseph opened Mt. Carmel Hospital
to the citizens of Pittsburg and the surrounding area.
. The hospital was situated on 40 acres on the very northern
boundary of Pittsburg, at what is 30th and Mt. Carmel
Road today. The initial structure had cost $18,000 to
build and was furnished by area organizations and individuals
for another $12,000 and included 20 patient rooms. Since
the Pittsburg Power Plant wasn’t able to supply
enough power to the hospital to have electricity, oil
lamps lighted it.
In the early 1900’s, people were afraid to go to the
hospital for anything but life threatening or very serious
illnesses. It was believed that hospitals should only be
used the most dire in need. So for the first few years, the
main patients that came through the doors were miners who
had been injured on the job. Charges for services at the
time were between $7.50 and $15.00 and were only billed to
those who were able to pay. If a patient wasn’t able
to pay, they were taken care of free of charge. It wasn’t
a true hospital in the sense of what one is today, as the
Sisters took care of everything, the cleaning, cooking, nursing
and any other chores that needed to be done and doctors donated
their services and time to help out.
In 1908, the first of several additions was added. It was
dedicated on April 8, 1908 and included a new chapel and
new dormitory space for the Sisters on the second floor.
It also included an additional 15 rooms, bringing the total
to 35 beds. In 1916, a new two-story building was built as
an annex to the original. A new high-pressure boiler was
added for steam to be pumped into the surgery room.
In 1918, a new four-story hospital was built next to the original. This addition
increased the beds to eighty. It also included three operating rooms, a delivery
room and permitted the hospital to separate the patients into to 3 wards; medical,
surgical or obstetrical. The city of Pittsburg and its citizens helped the Sisters
pay off their debt on the new building by donating $22,000. Not long after this,
the hospital adopted the recording system of the American College of Surgeons
and was accredited by that body in the early 1920’s.
In 1947 the final expansion of the facility was began with
completion in 1951. By 1960, the hospital was showing signs
of needing its own doctor and the hospital was being pressured
by the every growing needs of the community. Not only was
the building in need of major repairs, but also the patient
count was well over 100% on any given day and patients were
being held in the hallways waiting for rooms. After extensive
ground tests and planning, it was decided against building
a new facility next to the older one since the grounds weren’t
very stable due undermining and lack of land.
It was decided to begin a search for a new location of 70
acres being found on the southeast corner of Rouse and Centennial.
It was purchased from the Grotheer family and construction
began in 1968. The building cost $6.5 million and was opened
for business on March 21, 1971 with patients from the old
facility being transferred in May. Today Mt. Carmel Medical
Center has become a regional hospital with many additions
and new programs added since 1971. |
