A milestone celebration for the South Shore
As South Shore Hospital celebrates its 100th anniversary this week, a truly significant milestone for our entire heath system, we are grateful for our community’s generous support and honored to carry forward a century-long legacy of service to patients and families on the South Shore.
It began in 1921, when Dr. George F. Emerson helped his wife onto a streetcar in Weymouth to travel to a Boston hospital for care as she prepared to deliver her baby. It was clear to Dr. Emerson that there was a need for better care closer to home. He took action, and one year later, Weymouth Hospital welcomed its first patient. What began as a tiny hospital in an historic mansion has grown into a fully integrated health system now called South Shore Health.
Dr. Emerson’s mission has guided us through the past 100 years, leading us to where we are today: a proud, thriving, independent health system, including an award-winning, trusted hospital, and experienced, compassionate providers of primary, specialty, urgent, emergency medical and home care.
None of these important services would be possible without our nearly 6,000 colleagues, many of whom live in Weymouth and nearby towns. Their knowledge, skills, and dedication to our patients’ well-being and safety is unmatched; their tireless efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have been nothing short of inspiring.
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As we celebrate our centennial, we look to the future with an eye toward ensuring that we will always be the first place our community turns to for its health and wellness needs through our highly skilled medical staff, our exceptional care teams, and thanks to prominent and evolving relationships with other medical partners such as Aspire Health Alliance, Mass General Brigham, Dana Farber Cancer Center and Boston Children’s Hospital.
Like so many health systems, we have faced our share of challenges in recent years. There is still work to be done, for example, to ensure all South Shore residents have access to appropriate medical care – and we are not shying away from that challenge.
As a not-for-profit independent healthcare organization, it’s the standard that our founders set – they insisted that all patients receive excellent care, regardless of their ability to pay. With extraordinary guidance from our Board of Directors, a talented and dedicated workforce, support from our generous donors, and the fellowship of our community, we will uphold these values and honor our responsibility as stewards of Dr. George F. Emerson’s legacy.
On this momentous occasion, we extend our sincere thanks the people of this region. It has been a privilege to care for you during the past century. As your friends, your family, and your neighbors, we look forward to advancing a healthier South Shore today, and for the next 100 years.
Allen Smith is president and CEO of South Shore Health.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore Hospital celebrates 100-year anniversary
