About Us: History
The Chicago area is well-known for the caliber of its health care. And for more than 100 years, Adventist Hinsdale Hospital has been the health care provider that more people in the area rely on. With over 600 physicians on staff and a full compliment of services that rivals Chicago's academic medical centers, Adventist Hinsdale Hospital is committed to your good health.
Vision, Faith, Mission
Imagine a 10-acre piece of property located on the edge of Hinsdale. The rolling hills have a brook running through them and are entirely wooded with fruit trees, berry bushes and shrubbery. This is the setting where the Hinsdale Sanitarium was built. C.B. Kimbell, a wealthy gentleman who lived in Hinsdale, offered to buy the land for Dr. David Paulson with the condition that Dr. Paulson repay him with 20 yearly installments without interest.
Dr. Paulson and his group started with a good deal of enthusiasm in the fall of 1904. They broke ground and worked during the winter building a sanitarium with 17 bedrooms. The first patient came before the front steps were built, and within three weeks of dedication, every room was full.
Soon after opening, it was realized that more rooms would be needed. Upon completion of another addition they had 40 guestrooms. That very summer they had 56 patients. Beds were put up in both Dr. and Mrs. Paulson's offices, and they had several people on the waiting list begging to be admitted. With time more additions were built onto the existing sanitarium.
Adventist Hinsdale Hospital remains the first and largest medical facility in DuPage County. The high standard of quality medical care has progressed from the sanitarium program in the early 1900s to the only west suburban hospital qualified to handle the 1949 polio outbreak. Currently, it is one of the few community hospitals in Illinois to offer tertiary level care. Adventist Hinsdale Hospital remains strong in its mission of whole-person health.
Adventist Hinsdale Hospital was founded by Drs. David and Mary Paulson, Seventh-day Adventist physicians in Chicago, who wanted to provide patients with "fresh air, sunshine, suitable exercise, pure water, a wholesome diet, a beautiful outlook and a mind at peace with God and man."
The facility is noted for the comprehensive diagnostic and treatment programs of its Opler Cancer Center, Rooney Heart Institute, Level II Trauma Center, Birck Family Women and Children Center, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Orthopedic and Spine Center, Pain Management Center, Neurological Intensive Care Unit, Adventist Paulson Rehab Network, Behavioral Medicine Services including the New Day Center, (the area's first program to offer a two-year aftercare treatment for drug and alcohol rehabilitation) and the Sleep Laboratory. Adventist Hinsdale Hospital has been a leader in maternity care since the turn of the century with the delivery of the area's first baby born in a hospital. Other firsts include birthing rooms, Lamaze classes and lactation consultants. The Center's Level III Special Care Nursery is equipped to stabilize and provide intense medical care for critically ill newborns. The hospital also offers ConfiCare, a health/education program for everyone 50 and older. Occupational Health Services provides a variety of health and wellness programs to businesses and industry. Adventist Hinsdale Hospital was recognized by The Advisory Board for excellence in pharmaceutical management that was achieved in a community hospital setting.
Quality Care Knows No Boundaries
Today, as a 426-bed facility, Hinsdale is the flagship hospital of the Midwest Region of Adventist Midwest Health - one of the largest health care systems in the nation. Adventist Hinsdale Hospital is also noted as the second largest hospital within Adventist Health System.
Member hospitals of Adventist Midwest Health continue the Adventist tradition of meeting patients' emotional and spiritual needs in addition to their physical needs. The mission reaches beyond the front doors, not only at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, but also at Adventist GlenOaks Hospital in Glendale Heights, Adventist Bolingbrook Medical Center in Bolingbrook and Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital. They partner with community organizations to provide health services, educational programs and support groups that promote better health.
Other Midwest region facilities include Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital, Adventist GlenOaks Hospital, Adventist Bolingbrook Medical Center, Chippewa Valley Hospital, Hinsdale Surgical Center, Adventist Health Care at Home, Adventist St. Thomas Hospice and Adventist Health Partners, our physician group practice.
