The hospital boasts of establishing the first independent physical therapy department in 1914 and culturing the polio virus in 1949. Today, its staff is dealing with urban violence as it affects children's public health, operating one of the world's largest centers for cystic fibrosis research and treatment and running regional centers for kidney and bone marrow transplants.
The largest pediatric medical center in the area, Children's is also the largest provider of pediatric services to the residents of Boston.
The hospital reported a surplus of $11 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1991. Hospital president David S. Weiner reportedly earned $340,000 that year.
'Individual, Personalized Attention'
Beth Israel Hospital has 504 adult inpatient beds, 3185 full-time employees and delivers 5,456 babies annually, With such high-volume, you might expect somewhat of a mass-production atmosphere.
But Beth Israel highlights its "individual, personalized attention."
The hospital was the first to issue a written statement of Patient's Rights. The statement, which includes the rights to be heard and responded to by hospital personnel, to privacy, to personal dignity, to respect and to detailed information, is distributed to each patient admitted and to each new employee.
"Primary nursing" is another patient care-oriented emphasis at Beth Israel. Each patient is assigned a registered nurse who has primary responsibility for that patient's nursing care. The hospital trains nursing students from 12 different schools, including Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Beth Israel Hospital was established in 1916 by the Boston Jewish community to meet the needs of a growing immigrant population.
The hospital reported a $17.9 million surplus for the fiscal year ending in September 1991. Hospital President Dr. Mitchell T. Rabkin reportedly earned about $422,000 that year.
As the chief executive officers and chairs of the board of five Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals meet over the next six months to study ways to further cooperation, almost everything will be on the table. Power, money and national health care will influence decisions, but the distinct character of the hospitals will be the biggest factor.