Primary Children's Medical Center
Encyclopedia
Primary Children's Medical Center is a 252-bed children's hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah
. It is owned by Intermountain Healthcare
and operates in affiliation with the University of Utah
. The hospital serves the states of Utah
, Idaho
, Wyoming
, Nevada
, and Montana
- yielding an enormous geographic catchment area of approximately 400,000 square miles.
. An LDS organization and building, named "Deseret
Hospital", was first founded in 1882 in Salt Lake City, but it closed for financial reasons in 1900. In 1905 another effort resulted in the "Dr. W. H. Groves Hospital" in Salt Lake City, funded largely by a bequest from an English dentist who had migrated to Utah. Its successor, LDS Hospital
, also in Salt Lake City, continues today.
In 1911 some LDS Church leaders, including May Anderson
and Louie B. Felt
, pushed for a separate facility geared to needs of infants and young patients. By 1913 a children's ward had been established at LDS Hospital, and by 1922 a separate facility for children was established in a large Salt Lake City house. It was run by the Primary Association
(the auxiliary organization of the LDS Church which deals with teaching and care of children), thus the name. During those years, the LDS Church encouraged its members to donate to the hospital's fund by an annual fund-raising effort, "Pennies By The Inch", in which members were asked to donate as many pennies as they were tall (in inches).
On February 12, 1952 the hospital moved to a larger building located near the top of the Avenues
area of Salt Lake (the hilly portion of northeast Salt Lake City). It was substantially enlarged in 1966, gaining nearly twice its original area.
In 1974 the LDS Church decided to divest itself of the ownership and operation of several of its non-church-related activities such as health-care facilities. In 1975 its hospitals were turned over to the Intermountain Health Care group, which still owns and operates Primary Children's Medical Center. However, in 1990 the Avenues facility was closed and was transferred to a larger facility on the University of Utah
medical campus. University faculty provide care for patients at Primary Children's Medical Center, and the University of Utah
pediatric residency program and Medical School use Primary Children's Medical Center as their pediatric training site.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. It is owned by Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Health Care, Inc., DBA as Intermountain Healthcare, and formerly known as Intermountain Health Care , is a non-profit healthcare system and is the largest healthcare provider in the Intermountain West. Intermountain Healthcare provides hospital and other medical services in Utah and...
and operates in affiliation with the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. The hospital serves the states of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, and Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
- yielding an enormous geographic catchment area of approximately 400,000 square miles.
History
Primary Children's Medical Center had its beginnings in the efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to provide adequate medical care to citizens of the western United StatesWestern United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. An LDS organization and building, named "Deseret
Deseret
Deseret is a term derived from the Book of Mormon, a scripture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Latter Day Saint groups...
Hospital", was first founded in 1882 in Salt Lake City, but it closed for financial reasons in 1900. In 1905 another effort resulted in the "Dr. W. H. Groves Hospital" in Salt Lake City, funded largely by a bequest from an English dentist who had migrated to Utah. Its successor, LDS Hospital
LDS Hospital
LDS Hospital is a general urban hospital and surgical center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The hospital was originally owned by the LDS Church but is now owned and operated by Intermountain Healthcare...
, also in Salt Lake City, continues today.
In 1911 some LDS Church leaders, including May Anderson
May Anderson
May Anderson was the second general president of the children's Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1925 and 1939. Anderson also served as the first counselor to general Primary president Louie B...
and Louie B. Felt
Louie B. Felt
Sarah Louise Bouton Felt was the first general president of the children's Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1880 and 1925.-Early life:...
, pushed for a separate facility geared to needs of infants and young patients. By 1913 a children's ward had been established at LDS Hospital, and by 1922 a separate facility for children was established in a large Salt Lake City house. It was run by the Primary Association
Primary Association
The Primary is a children's organization and an official auxiliary within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
(the auxiliary organization of the LDS Church which deals with teaching and care of children), thus the name. During those years, the LDS Church encouraged its members to donate to the hospital's fund by an annual fund-raising effort, "Pennies By The Inch", in which members were asked to donate as many pennies as they were tall (in inches).
On February 12, 1952 the hospital moved to a larger building located near the top of the Avenues
The Avenues, Salt Lake City, Utah
The Avenues is a neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is named after the perfectly grid-like, closely laid out roads called Avenues and Streets. First surveyed in the 1850s, the Avenues became Salt Lake City's first neighborhood. Today, the Avenues neighborhood is generally considered...
area of Salt Lake (the hilly portion of northeast Salt Lake City). It was substantially enlarged in 1966, gaining nearly twice its original area.
In 1974 the LDS Church decided to divest itself of the ownership and operation of several of its non-church-related activities such as health-care facilities. In 1975 its hospitals were turned over to the Intermountain Health Care group, which still owns and operates Primary Children's Medical Center. However, in 1990 the Avenues facility was closed and was transferred to a larger facility on the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
medical campus. University faculty provide care for patients at Primary Children's Medical Center, and the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
pediatric residency program and Medical School use Primary Children's Medical Center as their pediatric training site.