1902
Battle Creek Sanitarium in Flames
The night of February 18, two buildings at the Battle Creek Sanitarium burned down, causing an estimated $300,000 to $400,000 in property damage. Almost all guests escaped safely. Kellogg rebuilt the campus, doubling the size, which led to tensions between him and the Adventist Church.
1904
Hinsdale Sanitarium
Hinsdale, Illinois
C. B. Kimbell loans Dr. David Paulson $16,000 to buy a choice property for a sanitarium in the Chicago suburb.
1905
Glendale Sanitarium
Glendale, California
Adventists’ Southern California Conference is $40,000 in debt when John Burden puts down $20 of his own money for the Glendale Hotel. The conference pays off the balance in three years. Today this hospital is a part of Adventist Health in California.
1905
Loma Linda Sanitarium
Loma Linda, California
At one point, the property was far from what the small church could afford, but through prayer and a faithful church leader a beautiful property is purchased. The facility comes with steam heat, five cottages, 76 acres of gardens and orchards and nearly one mile of sidewalks, near the mountains of Southern California. Today this hospital is a part of Loma Linda University Health in California.
1907
Washington Sanitarium
Takoma Park, Maryland
A four-story structure with large verandas houses the new health center in Takoma Park, Montgomery County’s first health care facility. Today this hospital is a part of Adventist HealthCare in Maryland.
1908
Florida Sanitarium
Orlando, Florida
With $4.83 in hand, Adventist Pastor Rufus Parmele offers $9,000 for a failed tuberculosis facility in Orlando. Church members raise the balance for a 20-bed sanitarium. His wife, Lydia, becomes the first physician.
1910
The Mountain Sanitarium
Ashville, North Carolina
Ellen White urged church members to move to the South to start education and medical work there. The first health care facility for the mountain people of western North Carolina begins in two treatment rooms in a local school – Fletcher Academy.
1913
White Memorial Hospital
Los Angeles, California
Four women of incredible faith, talent and financial means interrupt a board meeting in session to decide the fate of the College of Medical Evangelism. They ask the men to allow the school to continue and that a teaching hospital be built in Los Angeles to house the clinical needs of students. Further, they suggest honoring church founder, Ellen White, who recently passed away. Today this hospital is a part of Adventist Health in California.
1923
Military Hospital on Standby
Loma Linda University physicians propose a military hospital staffed by Seventh-day Adventists to be on stand-by should the United States enter war again. This 47th General Hospital of the United States Army Corps is called into action in December 1941 and again in 1943.
1930
Porter Sanitarium and Hospital
Denver, Colorado
A tip refused by a Glendale Sanitarium physical therapist and a 45-cent refund from another Adventist sanitarium impress businessman Henry Porter and his daughter to donate $330,000 for a similar hospital in Denver.
1930s and 1940s
Changing Health Care Challenges
The 1930s and 1940s see slower growth in Adventist health care in the United States. Early sanitariums struggle to survive through the Great Depression and then World War II. At the same time, under President Roosevelt's administration, medical advances improve the treatment of diseases, and new hospital insurance plans don't cover sanitarium-style care.
1932
First Telehealth Consultation
Dr. John Harvey Kellogg makes the first “telehealth” call — a medical consultation held over transatlantic wires with the son of a member of the British Parliament.
1946
The Hill-Burton Act Enacted
Federal funds from the newly passed Hill-Burton Act to build hospitals and other health care facilities prompt many communities to work with Adventist hospitals, which were known for excellent patient care.
1948
Walker Memorial Sanitarium and Hospital
Avon Park, Florida
Adventists acquire a former Air Force hotel, and the US Navy donates a shipload of equipment for a hospital in Avon Park. A replacement facility opens in nearby Sebring in 1997.
The Early Days: 1863 to 1900
In 1866, Seventh-day Adventists opened what became known as Battle Creek Sanitarium. Learn more about our roots.
A Different Kind of Health Care: 1900 to 1950
Seventh-day Adventist health pioneers promoted a new way to live healthy and whole that stood in stark contrast to the medical practices of the day.
Changing Times: 1950 to 2000
Health care was rapidly changing, and some communities turned to Adventist hospital leaders for guidance and help.
Expanding Markets: 2000 to 2022
With a new millennium came a time of expansion. AdventHealth grew its footprint well beyond Central Florida, opening facilities in multiple states across the country.
AdventHealth Today
Now flourishing as a national brand, we continue our legacy of whole-person care by Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ to our patients and communities.