Preface: Lancaster County Business History – Lancaster General Health (LGH). The Healthcare industry has improved dramatically in the past 100 years. Here’s one business that has developed along with it.
LGH
Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, PA, began in 1893 in a small home on 322 North Queen Street. Today the primary hospital is on 555 North Duke Street with a flagship 590-bed facility.
Timeline history:
- 1896 the hospital relocated to a private mansion on 530-532 North Lime Street.
- 1903 Lancaster General formed a formal nurses training program, graduating its first students in 1905.
- 1913 LGH starting using its first motorized ambulance.
- 1938 LGH purchased its first iron lung.
- 1943 LGH celebrated 50 years in business. As Lancaster Country grew, so did LGH. In the early 1950’s the LGH Department of Physical Therapy was established.
- 1952 LGH built a new wing with 156 new beds, a heart clinic, chapel, intern quarters, library, cafeteria, and employee lounge.
- 1983, 90 year in business, LGH performs its first open heart surgery with Lawrence I Bonchek, head of the cardiac surgery team.
- 1987 LGH’s trauma center receives accreditation.
- 1990 the first laparoscopic surgery on a gall bladder was performed at the hospital.
- 1994 LGH finished construction on the major Suburban Outpatient Pavilion.
- 2000 Women and Babies Hospital opens adjacent to the Suburban Outpatient Pavilion.
- 2010 LG Health began implementing a $100m electronic medical record system to be used by its physicians and clinician health system.
- 2015 LGH embarks on a $60m expansion of the flagship property LG Hospital.
Today, LGH, a nonprofit, has revenues near $1 billion, operating income of near $50 million. LGH is one of Lancaster’s biggest economic entities, and the biggest employer in Lancaster County with more than 4,000 full-time employees, and 3,000 part-time employees in it health network.
The LGH Mission: To advance the health and well-being of the communities we serve. The vision:
Delivering on the promise of a healthier future. We will:
Engage, educate, and guide people to take charge of their health; and
Transform the way care is delivered by providing coordinated and affordable, high-quality services
Lancaster County is fortunate to have one of the best hospitals and health care networks in the nation, and 5th best in Pennsylvania for 2014-2015.
What is the future of businesses like Lancaster General Health?