Timeline

St. John Hospital in Cleveland opens its doors to serve residents of the near west side. The Hospital is founded as St. John of God Hospital by the Sisters of St. Francis of Lafayette, Indiana. The Hospital will eventually expand to a 320-bed facility and is the first hospital in the state to have a department of physical therapy. St. John is also one of the first kidney treatment centers in Cleveland. Finally, St. John Hospital closes in 1990 and all services are transferred to St. John & West Shore Hospital.

The Cleveland Osteopathic Hospital (later named Bay View Hospital) is established in downtown Cleveland. When the population migrates to the suburbs a search is on for a west side location. In 1948, The Washington Lawrence Mansion on Lake Road is purchased and becomes the Bay View Osteopathic General Hospital. The mansion is converted to a 53-bed hospital. Later, Bay View expands to a total of 116-beds and is known for centers of excellence such as drug and alcohol treatment, obstetrics and emergency care.

March 1, at 7 a.m. the Hospital opens its doors and admits its first patient. St. John Hospital transfers obstetrics services to the new hospital. Later that day, the Hospital welcomes its first baby. With 200 private rooms, St. John & West Shore Hospital (SJWS) is completed three months ahead of schedule. That same day, Bay View Hospital closes its doors and patients transfer to the new Westlake facility. Also, patients from Bay View's Serenity Hall, an alcoholism and drug dependency treatment center, find a new home at St. John & West Shore.

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