Call Number:

30

Repository:

Historical Society of Frankford

Extent:

2.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1918-1990s

Creator:

Frankford Hospital (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Abstract:

Frankford Hospital was chartered in 1903 by doctors Joseph Ball and Charles P. Brady to serve as a community hospital in the Frankford area of Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The hospital grew quickly, expanding to meet the needs of neighborhoods in Northeast Philadelphia through the additions of a maternity wing, a modern emergency room, expanded laboratory facilities, and two additional locations in Torresdale and Bucks County. In 2009, Frankford Hospital changed its name to Aria Health to better reflect its expanded, regional services in Northeast Philadelphia and Bucks County. As of 2015, Aria Health is the largest healthcare provider in Northeast Philadelphia and Lower Bucks County. The Frankford Hospital records, circa 1918-1990s, consist primarily of photographs, but also contain letters and memos, annual reports, and various other materials relating to Frankford Hospital.

In 1902, Joseph Ball, a physician in the Frankford neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, tried to admit a patient of his with typhoid to one of the city's hospitals, but none of them had an available bed. When, Dr. Ball learned that other physicians in the Northeast area of Philadelphia were also having patients turned away from city hospitals, he, with his colleague, Dr. Charles P. Brady of Fox Chase, began an effort to establish a community hospital to serve the Northeast area.

Due to a state law prohibiting the building of any new hospitals, cemeteries, or slaughter houses within the city limits of Philadelphia, Dr. Ball and Dr. Brady began to serve the community as the Frankford Medical Dispensary in 1902. In rented rooms at 2360 Orthodox Street, the two of them treated three hundred and four patients in six months. Three other local doctors also came to lend their expertise to the philanthropic operation.

In the Spring of 1903, following the repeal of the state law prohibiting new hospitals, Dr. Ball was able to obtain a charter for Frankford Hospital. A location was secured at the corner of Penn and Sellers Streets at the old Sidebotham house. Dr. Ball and Dr. Brady were joined by four other doctors, forming the original hospital staff of six. In the first ninety days of operation, over 3,000 patients were treated at Frankford Hospital, and the staff was expanded to eleven doctors and two additional consulting physicians. A training school for nurses attached to the hospital was opened in 1904.

The hospital was originally governed by a board consisting of Dr. Ball, Dr. Brady, and the other four doctors that were on the original staff. In 1904, the physicians resigned from the board and the direction of the hospital was turned over to lay members. The first president of the board was John M. Mack, who served until 1915.

By 1906, Frankford Hospital was quickly outgrowing its location on Sellers Street. The Trustees of the Hospital purchased the property of John W. Wilbraham, located at the southwest corner of Frankford Avenue and Wakeling Street. In 1910, the hospital opened a maternity wing in a row house on Frankford Avenue. By 1937, this building was replaced with a new building on Griscom Street that was later connected to the main building by way of a new wing, called the Griscom Wing, in the 1950s. An additional wing, the Korman Wing, was added in the early 1960s, and brought with it a new operating suite, modern emergency room, and an expanded laboratory facility.

Frankford Hospital opened a second location in 1970, the Torresdale Division in the far northeast section of Philadelphia. The 230-bed facility was fully occupied within eight months of opening. Frankford Hospital expanded again in 1999 when it acquired the Delaware Valley Medical Center in Bucks County, creating a third site, Frankford Hospital-Bucks County.

In 2009, Frankford Hospital changed its name to Aria Health to better reflect its expanded, regional services in Northeast Philadelphia and Bucks County. As of 2015, Aria Health was the largest healthcare provider in Northeast Philadelphia and Lower Bucks County.

Bibliography:

Aria Health System. "Our History." Accessed November 2, 2015. https://www.ariahealth.org/about-aria/our-history.

Kelly, Maurice J. Frankford Hospital: The First 75 Years, 1903-1978. Philadelphia, PA: Frankford Hospital, 1978.

This collection consists primarily of photographs, but also contains letters and memos, annual reports, and various other materials relating to Frankford Hospital, circa 1918-1990s. The photographs depict the hospital building (interiors, exteriors, various wings, and construction), administrators, board members, doctors, nurses, events, group photos of employees, and other related subjects. There is at least one contact sheet. Though the collection dates back to the 1910s, there are some photographic copies of images that pre-date 1910.

The letters and memos are mostly to and from trustees, board members, and various administrators regarding hospital matters. Annual reports include the 2nd through the 38th annual reports, 1905-1942. The collection also includes bulletins and other miscellaneous materials, such as graduation booklets, from the hospital's nursing school.