Reading Hospital to Unveil Legacy Wall and Pictorial History Book Commemorating 150th Anniversary
Reading Hospital has been celebrating a century and a half of care throughout 2018 and will host a final event to unveil a new Legacy Wall and Pictorial History Book on Wednesday, December 5. The event will place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Reading Hospital Healing Garden Lobby. Remarks and the unveiling will occur at 5:30 p.m. Media is invited to attend this private event.
William M. Jennings, Reading Hospital President & CEO; Jeffrey Rush, Chairman, Reading Hospital Foundation Board of Directors; and David Thun, member of Reading Hospital Foundation Board of Directors and grandson of Ferdinand Thun, who, with two partners in 1921, donated money and land in West Reading for the new Reading Hospital, will make remarks.
Reading Hospital's history will be brought to life in this special grand finale event as guests explore the past through the new Legacy Wall, which chronicles major events spanning 150 years of the hospital's clinical history and evolution as a community partner advancing the health and wellness of Berks County.
The Legacy Wall, 52 feet in length, features five interactive touch screens, including a "Future in Healthcare" video, educational puzzles and quizzes, videos featuring Reading Hospital employees, historical photos and the hospital's 150th Anniversary Commemorative Painting. A Donor Recognition Wall honors organizations and individuals who generously contributed to the Legacy Wall, including Reading Hospital Foundation, Wyomissing Foundation, The Friends of Reading Hospital, Reading Hospital Medical Staff, Dick and Angelia Ehst, Alumni Association of the Reading Hospital School of Nursing, Charles F. Barbera, MD and Mary Lynch Barbera, PhD, Amir B. Behnam, MD and Family, Berkshire Charitable Foundation, John Casey, MD and Vicki Casey, Kelley Crozier, MD and Rev. Mark Christy, Diamond Credit Union, Vic and Dena Hammel, Henry Janssen Foundation, William M. and Kristin L. Jennings, Chris and Ann Kraras, Cecilia M. Smith, DO and Family, Mark B. Woodland MS, MD and David S. Blum, ESQ, and Tom and Dianne Work.
Adding to the evening's experience, six current Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences' nursing students will model a variety of nurses' uniforms spanning several decades. Reading Hospital's nursing school has a considerable legacy of its own, providing excellent nursing education in Berks County since 1889.
The Reading Dispensary, the precursor to Reading Hospital, opened on January 27, 1868, in a small, rented space in downtown Reading. After outgrowing that space, The Reading Hospital opened at Front and Spring Streets on June 3, 1886. Forty years later, the hospital moved to its current location in West Reading.
Today, Reading Hospital is the nationally recognized, flagship hospital of Tower Health, an award-winning, integrated health system serving southeastern Pennsylvania. As the centerpiece of healthcare in Berks County, Reading Hospital continues its legacy of serving the community, treating more than 133,000 emergency patients, delivering 3,600 babies, and performing 20,000 surgeries each year.
Reading Hospital
Reading Hospital is the flagship, Magnet Recognized, acute care hospital of Tower Health. Located in West Reading, Pa., Reading Hospital is a 714-bed hospital that is home to many top-tier specialty care centers, including Reading HealthPlex, McGlinn Cancer Institute, Miller Regional Heart Center, Emergency Department, Level I Trauma Center and Beginnings Maternity Center, which houses the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). With more than 1,000 physicians, specialists, and advanced practice providers across 49 locations, Reading Hospital has been recognized for its quality outcomes and clinical expertise across services lines. It is listed as one of America's 100 Best Hospitals for four consecutive years and received a 5-Star Rating from CMS two years in a row. For more information, visit towerhealth.org.