Newton-Wellesley Hospital
Encyclopedia
Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH) is a community teaching medical center located in Newton, Massachusetts
on Washington Street. It is affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine
and Harvard Medical School
. Founded in 1881, its campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as the Newton Cottage Hospital Historic District.
It is a member of Partners HealthCare
, a network founded by Massachusetts General Hospital
and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The Hospital offers a range of medical, surgical and specialty care, including maternity services, a 24-hour emergency department and orthopedic, critical care and oncology inpatient units.
, Newton-Wellesley was built to serve the local population. It consisted of a complex of buildings, radiating from a central administrative building. Patients were cared for in windowed ward rooms, one story high.
A School of Nursing was established at the hospital in 1888. The first baby was born there in 1890 (by 1965, 50,000 babies had been delivered, including the hospital's first in-vitro baby). Newton-Wellesley acquired its first X-ray machine in 1902, and an electrocardiograph in 1933. In 1910, the outpatient department was opened at the hospital. Most outpatient departments at the time consisted of a doctor and a nurse. But Newton-Wellesley offered a variety of services, each attended by a specialist. The department had an orthopedic service, one of only two in the Boston community.
In response to the influx of patients resulting from the combination of World War I and the 1918 influenza pandemic, the hospital erected a number of tents and temporary buildings. Patient records began to be kept in 1920, followed in 1924 by the establishment of an official hospital laboratory for bloodwork and urinalyses; the blood bank was first added in 1939. In 1955, the first pacemaker operation at the hospital was performed, followed by the first cardiac catheterization in 1993. The Wikstrom Surgical Center opened in 1993, providing 16 operating rooms, pre-operative and post-anesthesia areas, and a permanent MRI suite.
In 1999, Newton-Wellesley Hospital joins Partners HealthCare
; it affiliated with MassGeneral Hospital for Children in 2001. A number of new centers were created, including the Spine Center (founded by Andrew C. Hecht
in 2001), the Waltham Urgent Care Center (2003), and Maxwell Blum Emergency Pavilion (2007) and the Vernon Cancer Center (construction began 2008).
The main campus of Newton-Wellesley is located at 2014 Washington Street, Newton, Massachusetts, near the intersection of Routes 16 & 128 (I-95), one mile south of the Mass. Pike (I-90). The closest MBTA stop is Woodland
, two blocks from the hospital on the D (Riverside) Branch of the MBTA Green Line.
An additional urgent care treatment facility is located offsite at the Waltham Urgent Care Center at 9 Hope Avenue in Waltham, MA. Laboratory Services also has offsite locations in Natick, Walpole, Waltham and Weston.
's Best Places to Work Award in 2007 and 2008. It consistently ranks as a Top 100 Hospital by Solucient, honored five times for this achievement. In 2008 it received the American Heart Association's
2008 Get With The Guidelines Silver Performance Achievement Award for coronary artery disease and the 2008 Gold Performance Achievement Award for stroke and 2008 Silver Performance Achievement Award for heart failure. Sixty-three physicians affiliated with the Hospital were named to the Best Doctors in America list for 2007-08 created by Best Doctors, Inc. and 11 Hospital physicians were named to Boston Magazine's
2008 Top Doctor's List. Its Center for Weight Loss Surgery received Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's
2008 Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery and the Community Newspaper Company's
honored it as the #1 Gold Hospital - Regional favorite in the 2008 Readers Choice Awards.
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
on Washington Street. It is affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
The Tufts University School of Medicine is one of the eight schools that constitute Tufts University. Located on the university's health sciences campus in the Chinatown district of Boston, Massachusetts, the medical school has clinical affiliations with thousands of doctors and researchers in the...
and Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. Founded in 1881, its campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as the Newton Cottage Hospital Historic District.
It is a member of Partners HealthCare
Partners HealthCare
Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization that owns several hospitals in Massachusetts, primarily in the Boston area. Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital founded the organization in 1994...
, a network founded by Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The Hospital offers a range of medical, surgical and specialty care, including maternity services, a 24-hour emergency department and orthopedic, critical care and oncology inpatient units.
History
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, originally called Newton Cottage Hospital, was incorporated in 1881. The idea for the hospital began when a local reverend, George W. Shinn, encouraged the mayor of Newton, Royal M. Pulsifer, to provide health care services for sick members of the community. Nine acres were purchased for the building. The hospital opened its doors on June 5, 1886 and admitted its first patient a week later. As a cottage hospitalCottage Hospital
The original concept of a cottage hospital was a small rural hospital having up to 25 beds. One advantage of such a hospital in villages was the familiarity the local physician might have with their patient that may affect their treatment...
, Newton-Wellesley was built to serve the local population. It consisted of a complex of buildings, radiating from a central administrative building. Patients were cared for in windowed ward rooms, one story high.
A School of Nursing was established at the hospital in 1888. The first baby was born there in 1890 (by 1965, 50,000 babies had been delivered, including the hospital's first in-vitro baby). Newton-Wellesley acquired its first X-ray machine in 1902, and an electrocardiograph in 1933. In 1910, the outpatient department was opened at the hospital. Most outpatient departments at the time consisted of a doctor and a nurse. But Newton-Wellesley offered a variety of services, each attended by a specialist. The department had an orthopedic service, one of only two in the Boston community.
In response to the influx of patients resulting from the combination of World War I and the 1918 influenza pandemic, the hospital erected a number of tents and temporary buildings. Patient records began to be kept in 1920, followed in 1924 by the establishment of an official hospital laboratory for bloodwork and urinalyses; the blood bank was first added in 1939. In 1955, the first pacemaker operation at the hospital was performed, followed by the first cardiac catheterization in 1993. The Wikstrom Surgical Center opened in 1993, providing 16 operating rooms, pre-operative and post-anesthesia areas, and a permanent MRI suite.
In 1999, Newton-Wellesley Hospital joins Partners HealthCare
Partners HealthCare
Partners HealthCare is a non-profit organization that owns several hospitals in Massachusetts, primarily in the Boston area. Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital founded the organization in 1994...
; it affiliated with MassGeneral Hospital for Children in 2001. A number of new centers were created, including the Spine Center (founded by Andrew C. Hecht
Andrew C. Hecht
Andrew C. Hecht, M.D., is an American orthopaedic surgeon and a nationally recognized leader in surgery on the spine.Hecht serves as the spine surgical consultant to the New York Jets, the New York Islanders and the New York Dragons, as well as collegiate teams at Hofstra University and Molloy...
in 2001), the Waltham Urgent Care Center (2003), and Maxwell Blum Emergency Pavilion (2007) and the Vernon Cancer Center (construction began 2008).
Facilities and current operations
There are 289 available beds and more than 17,000 discharges every year at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. On average, there are 56,000 visits in the emergency room yearly and more than 3,200 babies born. 14,000 surgical cases are seen each year. The hospital employs approximately 2,500 people.The main campus of Newton-Wellesley is located at 2014 Washington Street, Newton, Massachusetts, near the intersection of Routes 16 & 128 (I-95), one mile south of the Mass. Pike (I-90). The closest MBTA stop is Woodland
Woodland (MBTA station)
Woodland is a street-level station on the "D" branch of the MBTA Green Line. The station is located at 1940 Washington Street in Newton. The station is 42 minutes away from Park Street...
, two blocks from the hospital on the D (Riverside) Branch of the MBTA Green Line.
An additional urgent care treatment facility is located offsite at the Waltham Urgent Care Center at 9 Hope Avenue in Waltham, MA. Laboratory Services also has offsite locations in Natick, Walpole, Waltham and Weston.
Ratings
NWH has received the Boston Business JournalBoston Business Journal
The Boston Business Journal is a weekly, business-oriented newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts. It is published by the American City Business Journals....
's Best Places to Work Award in 2007 and 2008. It consistently ranks as a Top 100 Hospital by Solucient, honored five times for this achievement. In 2008 it received the American Heart Association's
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
2008 Get With The Guidelines Silver Performance Achievement Award for coronary artery disease and the 2008 Gold Performance Achievement Award for stroke and 2008 Silver Performance Achievement Award for heart failure. Sixty-three physicians affiliated with the Hospital were named to the Best Doctors in America list for 2007-08 created by Best Doctors, Inc. and 11 Hospital physicians were named to Boston Magazine's
Boston magazine
Boston is a monthly magazine concerning life in the Greater Boston area and has been in publication for more than 40 years.-About the magazine:The magazine is self-described as:...
2008 Top Doctor's List. Its Center for Weight Loss Surgery received Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a federation of 39 separate health insurance organizations and companies in the United States. Combined, they directly or indirectly provide health insurance to over 100 million Americans. The history of Blue Cross dates back to 1929, while the history of...
2008 Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery and the Community Newspaper Company's
Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company, a subsidiary of GateHouse Media, is a newspaper publisher in eastern Massachusetts. It was founded in 1991 as a holding company for several suburban publishers bought by Fidelity Investments; in 2001, Fidelity sold it to the Boston Herald; in 2006, the massive chain—New...
honored it as the #1 Gold Hospital - Regional favorite in the 2008 Readers Choice Awards.
Clinical Centers
Clinical Centers at Newton-Wellesley include:- The Auerbach Breast Center
- The Center for Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery
- The Center for Weight Loss Surgery
- The Kaplan Center for Joint Reconstruction Surgery
- The Manton Women's Imaging Center
- The Spine Center
- The Vernon Cancer Center
Notable Births
- Actor Jack LemmonJack LemmonJohn Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
was born in an elevator at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in 1925. - Matt LeBlancMatt LeBlancMatthew Steven "Matt" LeBlanc is an American actor, best known for his role as Joey Tribbiani on the NBC sitcoms Friends and its spin-off Joey....
, actor, from FriendsFriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
and B.J. Novak, actor, from The Office were born at the Hospital.
The early years
- The cost to start Newton Cottage Hospital: $3,600 for land; $7,209 to construct the Hospital.
- Only 26 patients were cared for in 1886 - the first year the Hospital was opened.
- Chickens and cows grazed at the Hospital, providing fresh dairy for patients and staff. Extensive gardens were also on site.
- The first bequest Newton-Wellesley received was in 1886 for $250 from the estate of Eliza Kendall.
- In 1961, the Hospital begins use of electronic paging systems - thanks to the donations raised from a Valentine's Day Ball.
Nursing Early Years
- Nursing candidates at Newton Cottage Hospital in 1888 had to be between 23- and 35-years-old.
- They were not permitted to talk with any males within the Hospital gates.
- Their dress requirements included seersucker gingham with a linen collar and cuffs, a white cap and white apron.
- The School of Nursing closed in 1986 after graduating nearly 3,500 nurses in its 100 years.
Then and Now
- Patients stayed an average of four weeks during the first years at Newton Cottage Hospital. Today, the average patient stay at Newton-Wellesley is four days.
- There were three births at the Hospital in 1890. Today, there are more than 3,000 births every year at the Hospital.
- The Hospital was one of approximately 500 hospitals in the nation when it opened. There are 7,500-plus hospitals nationwide today.
Going Green
- Newton-Wellesley custodians no longer use old string mops - they have switched to microfiber models. This saves 200,000 gallons of water each year. The hospital is also using high-pressure steam to create some of its own electricity and is now using less toxic cleaning supplies.
By the Numbers
- Newton-Wellesley was the first community hospital in Massachusetts to offer PET/CT scans.
- There are more than 1000 physicians affiliated with Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
- The Hospital's Laboratory Services and Pathology Department perform more than 1.3 million lab tests every year.
- In 2008 there were 76,309 X-rays, 39,330 Ultrasounds, 45,408 Mammograms and 13,998 Endoscopy Procedures
- In 2005, the Hospital's hundred-year-old Ellison Building, weighing 890 tons, was moved on 28 eight-wheeled dollies to a new location 220 feet away.
- In September of 2010 the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Charitable Foundation hosted their first annual HopeWalks, the walk raised money for the Vernon Cancer Center. HopeWalks raised over $280,000 with 1,400 walkers, 108 teams, and 80+ volunteers.