History

We step into our future with a strength that comes from our past. Today, we build on the vision 60 years ago where a doctor had the foresight to see the need for health care services in the Valley.
 
In the late 1940's, Dr. Frederick Gruneck, a retired physician, envisioned a major medical center in the rapidly expanding community of the San Fernando Valley, which at the time consisted of farms and orange groves. In 1955, his dream came true. Starting out as a single story 49-bed hospital with a one-room emergency room, Northridge Hospital was the only hospital in L.A. County “cooled by refrigerated air.”

Since then, we’ve grown in size and sophistication but our mission of serving the nearly 2.2 million Valley residents has remained the same. Sixty years later, Northridge Hospital is now a 394-bed acute care, not-for-profit hospital with over 800 physicians and approximately 2,000 employees.

Some Key Dates and Events in Our History

September 18, 1955 -Northridge Hospital opened with 49 beds

1958 – Second wing opens, doubling patient capacity

1967 – Outpatient Psychiatric Department opens

1974 – Center for Rehabilitation Medicine opens

1977 – Cardiovascular Center opens its doors

1984 – Hospital designated as a Trauma Center

1992 – Pediatric Intensive Care Unit opens

1993 – Leavey Cancer Center opens

1994 – On January 17, the hospital was at the Epicenter of the major 6.6 Earthquake that hit the Northridge area. At that time it was the most costly quake in U.S. history. The Neonatal ICU plunged into darkness and glass and equipment crashed everywhere--but miraculously all 21 babies survived. A makeshift triage was set up in the parking lot. Nurses and staff treated more than 700 patients in 14 hours, and 1,700 patients in the 4 days following the devastation.

1999 – Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) purchases hospital

2000 – Women’s Center opened

2005 – Gamma Knife Center opened

2006 - Designated a STEMI (Heart Attack) Receiving Center

2010 – The only Pediatric Trauma Center opens, serving the families of the Valley

2012 – Catholic Healthcare West is now Dignity Health

2013 - Hybrid Bi-plane Operating Room Suite arrives

2014 – Northridge Hospital become a certified Pediatric Medical Center

2015 - Celebrating 60 years of serving the community and ranked as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals in the United States by Healthgrades—a national healthcare ratings organization.