This article is about the state-of-the-art American hospital that specializes in fields such as neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, otolaryngology/head and neck surgery. It also provides professional treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Read about the founding and development of Lenox Hill Hospital at i-manhattan.
Establishment of the hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital or LHH, is a non-profit academic medical center. It is located at 100 East 77th Street in Manhattan and is part of the Northwell Health healthcare system.
In 1857, a group of public figures, including physician Ernest Krackowizer and Abraham Jacobi, decided to establish a German outpatient clinic called the German Hospital. It would provide medical services to German immigrants in their native language.
The newly established hospital was opened on May 28, 1857, at 132 New Canal Street, between Chrystie and Forsyth Streets. In 1862, the institution moved to a more spacious building. Four years later, construction began on a new facility on 77th Street. The cornerstone was laid in 1866. Construction was occasionally halted due to a lack of funds. However, on September 13, 1869, the hospital opened its doors to patients. It had a new dispensary, male and female wards, a dermatology treatment department and more.
Further work and development of the hospital
Already in 1887, around twenty thousand patients were being treated at the hospital, which was a remarkable figure. A nursing school was also established during this period. In 1908, a new isolation pavilion was opened, as well as a pavilion for tuberculosis patients. In 1910, a separate building for intrathoracic surgery began to be built on Lexington Avenue next to the nursing school.
In 1918, the hospital received its modern name Lenox Hill Hospital. There were later disputes regarding the return to the previous name, but it did not happen. In 1931, the hospital completed the construction of a new eleven-story building on 76th Street. In 1936, another facility was added from the side of 76th Street. These new buildings housed operating rooms, a children’s unit, patient wards and much more. Notably, during this period, W. Churchill himself was treated at Lenox Hill Hospital after sustaining numerous injuries from a car accident.
From 2007 to 2009, Lenox Hill Hospital underwent restoration. In 2010, the hospital joined Northwell Health. In 2021, it ranked fourth among the best hospitals in New York and was also listed among the fifty best hospitals in the country in the fields of neurology, neurosurgery, gynecology, endocrinology, geriatrics, orthopedics, cardiology and cardiosurgery.
Innovation of the hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital has become a leading innovator in the field of healthcare. In 1897, the hospital acquired one of the first X-ray apparatus in the United States. It was also at Lenox Hill that the first physical therapy department in the country was established. In 1938, the country’s first angiocardiograph was installed in the hospital. In 1955, it became one of the first hospitals in New York to open a cardiac catheterization laboratory, as well as the first cardiology department. Additionally, Lenox Hill Hospital performed the first angioplasty procedure and, in 2000, conducted the first endoscopic heart bypass surgery. It is also one of the first to buy the most advanced robotic cardiology system, allowing surgeons to perform heart surgeries with minimal intervention.