Orlando Health

Orlando Health, or Orlando Regional Medical Center, is located in the heart of Orlando Florida and is one of Orlando's biggest hospitals. Orlando Health was founded in 1918, opening a few weeks after closures due to the influenza pandemic. Dr. C. D. Christ and Dr. John McEwan were two important people that contributed to the beginning of Orlando Health and had huge impacts on the medical system during this time (Orange County). Orlando Health has an important history for the medical community and continues to play a large role today. It has shaped the way hospitals work and offers some of the best care that someone can receive in the Orlando area.

As stated, Orlando Health was founded in 1918 soon after closures due to the influenza pandemic. It started with Dr. C. D. Christ and Dr. John McEwan who each owned their own private practices and "were fierce competitors" (Orange County). Christ founded the Orlando Sanitarium in 1910 which included things such as a training school for nurses. McEwan, in 1911, had built his own 20-room hospital just a few blocks away from the Sanitarium. Although they had their own practices, they both helped at St Luke's Hospital. They worked on pricing for standard medical procedures and tried to help the medical system in many ways. When St Luke's closed in 1916, they both donated equipment, time and money, to try and help doctors and patients in any way they could. This is when the new hospital, Orlando General, opened in 1918, which is known as Orlando Health today (Orange County).

According to Orlando Sentinel, "Orlando grew rapidly during the 1920s". This growth allowed for the hospital to expand, and it added 50 more beds along with 2 nurses' homes. Over the years it continued to become more advanced with new technology and grew with the city around it to be the best it could be. In 1946 the hospital changed its name to Orange Memorial Hospital to honor the men and women who fought in World War II. It continued to reach significant goals such as becoming an approved teaching hospital in 1951, opening a mental health center in 1967, and merging with the Holiday Hospital in 1977 to create Orlando Regional Medical Center (Orlando Health). The hospital never stopped expanding and made sure it accommodated Central Florida's population as needed.

Today, Orlando Health continues to be one of the best in Central Florida. It is recognized for its success in "surgical, medical, rehabilitative and emergency care" (Orlando Health). It is Central Florida's only level one trauma center and is recognized as a national leader in medicine. This hospital started small in 1918, helping the people it could and continued to grow with the people and city around it to be the best it could be. This hospital will continue to advance in the future with the discovery of new medicine and will never stop doing its best to help patients.

Andrews, M. (2021, July 26). Hospital growth mirrors 74 years of area history. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 30, 2023, from https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1992-09-13-9209110770-story.html 

This source provided more extensive background information on Orlando health. It explains how it started and some of its significant landmarks in its history. This source comes from Orlando Sentinel, which is a well trusted newspaper and was reporting on the hospital's 75th anniversary and the history that led up to this achievement. The source cannot provide firsthand experience with most of the information, but it is not biased, so overall I think this source provides adequate information.

History. Orlando Health. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.orlandohealth.com/about-us/corporate- information/history#:~:text=Orlando%20Health%20was%20founded%20in,a%20dedicated%20group%20of%20doctors.

Orlando Health gives a timeline of their hospital and reviews its history from the very beginning. Orlando health was founded in 1918 and has hit milestones over the years it’s been running. This source is directly from the hospital itself, so it can give an accurate history. It can also show bias, though, since it is explaining its own past and wants to make itself look good. Overall, I think this source gives an accurate background and is very helpful to understanding the history of Orlando Health. 

Orlando General Hospital. Orlando Memory. (2020, September 14). Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://orlandomemory.info/organizations/orlando-general-hospital/ 

This source doesn’t give a lot of added information, but it does show many pictures to support the evidence on the history. This source allows us to have a basic understanding on the history of Orlando Health and see how things looked when it first started. It also allows for people to comment on their input under the photos which can give us more information. Some of this information may not be as accurate as other sources, but it still helps our understanding. 

Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center. Orlando Health. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2023, from https://www.orlandohealth.com/facilities/orlando-regional-medical-center?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=yext 

This is the main website for Orlando Health and provides information about the hospital success and achievements that make it one of Central Florida's best hospitals. Since it is coming directly from the hospital website the information is firsthand, but can be seen as bias. The awards it has received are fact, but some of the information can be based on personal opinion. Overall, I think this source provides decent information on how the hospital is running currently and helps us see how the hospital has grown.

Rick. (2021, May 6). Orlando's first hospital and the rivalry that transformed a community. Orange County Regional History Center. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.thehistorycenter.org/orlandos-first-hospital/ 

This source goes more into depth about the history of Orlando Health. It explains how the doctors, Dr. C. D. Christ and Dr. John McEwan, used their rivalry to end up starting the process of Orlando Health. They were both doctors in Orlando and ended up coming together to help fund the building of the hospital. This source does not show bias and shows a good perspective on the history of this hospital. It gives accurate information and will aid me in furthering this project.