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History of Fort Hamilton Hospital Following World War I the Protestant community of Hamilton and Butler County felt a need for another hospital in Hamilton. Because of the depression of the early 20’s the movement died. However, the thought of a second hospital in Hamilton remained in the minds of these people and hope continued in their hearts. On New Year’s Day in 1925, 21 men and women met and held the first meeting of the Butler County Welfare Club formed to create what was then being called the Martha Washington Hospital. In June, the group asked Mr. Joseph Steiger to preside over the hospital movement. By October, more than 4,000 members had been recruited to the campaign, and the society was renamed the Fort Hamilton Hospital Association. An active campaign was planned to raise $600,000 to be used in purchasing the land and building, equipping and staffing the new hospital. The group hired the Church Financial Council, managed by Ivan A. Pelter, to plan an aggressive fundraising campaign. This intense campaign started March 15, 1926, and in 15 days, more than 18,000 people were contacted and nearly a half million dollars was raised. This phenomenal fundraising feat would not have been possible without the generous contributions from prominent local families, including P. Benninghofen & Sisters, Mrs. Emma Sohn and W.B. Shuler & Family. A diverse group of local churches also played a crucial role, designating “majors” for the hospital’s branch association membership drive. These majors led the fundraising efforts within their congregations. Other groups also pitched in, such as the Champion Paper Office Girls, Eagles and the Pine Tree Troup Girl Scouts that each donated $500. The additional $100,000 needed was raised through a bond sale. Fifty-six lots on Eaton Ave. were purchased by the Association on June 28, 1926, and the original groundbreaking was on Sunday, November 7, 1926. On Sunday, April 27, 1929 more than 14,000 people stood in a line three blocks long for a chance to tour the new Fort Hamilton Hospital at an open house. The 108-bed hospital treated its first patient on May 1, 1929. The first 15 days of operation showed 66 admissions and almost 500 days of care given. However, with low patient volume and the stock market crash a few months later, the new hospital found itself struggling to stay afloat in a desperate economy. Community members banned together to help. Many patients paid their hospital bills in produce, poultry, eggs, repair work, and even deeds to building lots. By the early 1930s, wages for the new staff were cut in half, with the rest paid in IOUs. By 1934 the economic crisis was beginning to ease. An improving economy and a rapid climb in the number of patients helped to relieve the financial burden, reduce hospital debt and repay IOUs. When Miss Lois A. Roscoe was hired as hospital superintendent in May of 1938, she took an aggressive lead in cutting costs, stretching resources and repaying debt. In 1948, the Board of Trustees sold lots on the hospital grounds to build the Eugene H. Hughes contagious and infectious diseases hospital. Mr. Hughes had been a wealthy Hamiltonian who contracted an infectious disease in the 1920s before the existence of vaccines, drugs or a local hospital that treated such conditions. Upon his death he left his entire estate to the development and operation of an infectious disease facility that became the Hughes Memorial Hospital. Following World War II, the need for additional hospital beds and space became critical in Hamilton. The hospital had a waiting list for admissions. In 1960, the Lois A. Roscoe wing of Fort Hamilton Hospital was completed, doubling the size of the building, increasing bed capacity to 285 and adding new services, like physical therapy. In 1958, with the retirement of Lois Roscoe, Gaston Herd became the hospital’s new administrator. He was a beloved Hamilton figure who guided the hospital through many changes and advances, including the addition of air conditioning, an intensive care unit and recovery room. He also oversaw the merger of Fort Hamilton Hospital and Hughes Memorial Hospital in 1971 and the 1974 addition of the Gebhart Cancer Center and Sohn Memorial Library, named for former board members and benefactors. In 1977, he saw all obstetrics services in Hamilton become consolidated at Fort Hamilton Hospital. “Gaston Herd was a cherished administrator who went above and beyond the call of duty,” states Martina Lunsford, long-time hospital associate and Herd family friend. “After his retirement, he was truly missed by the Fort Hamilton staff, volunteers and community.” By 1980, a $45 million hospital expansion added beds and services and connected Fort Hamilton and Hughes buildings, but did require the demolition of the original hospital. In 1998, Fort Hamilton joined the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that included five other hospitals throughout Greater Cincinnati. The relationship brought additional access to capital and cost reduction benefits, while allowing for medical collaboration and sharing of best practices. Today, Fort Hamilton Hospital is licensed as a 307-bed community hospital with state-of-the-art services and a caring, compassionate staff. In the past few years, Fort Hamilton has invested $32.2 million in the latest equipment and expansions needed to keep up with a 50 percent increase in patient volume. Fort Hamilton doubled the size of its emergency department, expanded and renovated its surgery department and added three new units, including a medical/surgical unit, inpatient rehabilitation unit, and inpatient hospice unit. The hospital also invested in state-of-the-art imaging technology, including three firsts for Butler County – a 16-slice CT scanner, Vital Images CT software for 3-D images, and the R2 Imagechecker to double check mammography reads. In 2004, Fort Hamilton will begin another expansion project, a 42,000-square-foot building to house a state-of-the-art, 16-bed intensive care unit, as well as outpatient diagnostic and treatment services. The expansion will allow Fort Hamilton to treat an additional 1,500 critically ill patients per year. Fort Hamilton Hospital has come a long way since its founders set the stage in the 1920s. B uilt to provide a second choice for hospital care in the community more than 70 years ago, Fort Hamilton has now become the only hospital in central Butler County. “Fort Hamilton has the proud heritage of a hospital that was not only built by the community, but that continues to change for the community,” said Lynn Oswald, the hospital’s interim senior vice president. Click to view more photos of the hospital’s history.
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