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History

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 St. Joseph Hospital - The Early Years  St. Joseph Hospital - The Early Years
 1868, St. Joseph Hospital  1868, St. Joseph Hospital
 1911, St. Joseph Hospital  1911, St. Joseph Hospital
 1929, Clark General Hospital  1929, Clark General Hospital
 1945, Clark General becomes Vancouver Memorial  1945, Clark General becomes Vancouver Memorial
 1960s - Two hospitals at crossroads  1960s - Two hospitals at crossroads
 1970s - 1980s - Southwest Washington Hospitals  1970s - 1980s - Southwest Washington Hospitals
 1990s - Southwest Washington Medical Center  1990s - Southwest Washington Medical Center
 2000 and Beyond  2000 and Beyond
 Summary of Historical Highlights  Summary of Historical Highlights
 Health Education Center History  Health Education Center History
 Founder's Anniversary Celebrations  Founder's Anniversary Celebrations

 

   
St. Joseph Hospital, 1858
Our first home (above) was the first permanent hospital in the Northwest Territories.

PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center has a proud heritage. Originally called St. Joseph Hospital, it is the first hospital in the Pacific Northwest, established in1858 by then Sister Joseph of the Sacred Heart.  In 1967, the Sisters of Providence officially transferred the institution to the St.  Joseph Community Hospital Association.

Clark General Hospital opened in September, 1929. Trustees changed its name to Vancouver Memorial Hospital in 1945 to honor veterans.

In 1977, St. Joseph and Vancouver Memorial Hospitals merged, forming Southwest Washington Hospitals. In 1989, the name was changed to Southwest Washington Medical Center to reflect a major expansion in services.

In the fall of 2010, Southwest entered into affiliation discussions with PeaceHealth. After an extensive due diligence review, the two hospital systems agreed to move forward with affiliation effective January 1, 2011. More information on the affiliation is available here.

With nearly 150 years of continuous service, PeaceHealth Southwest has the distinction of being called by some the oldest surviving hospital west of the Rocky Mountains.

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