In 1921, Dover's Rotary Club heard Drs. Joseph McDaniel and I.J. MacCollum address the pressing need for hospital facilities in Dover. The Rotarians, working with other local leaders, launched a community fund drive and by the end of 1925, a site was selected and secured, and Kent General Hospital was incorporated.
Kent General Hospital opened in 1927. Within 10 years, annual admissions had doubled and the need for more space was apparent. In 1942, the third floor was enlarged, but not until 1951 did the hospital complete its first major addition, bringing the total number of patient beds to 93.
Kent General celebrated its 45th anniversary in 1972 with another building program to upgrade outpatient services and expand emergency services. Numerous building projects over the next two decades helped Kent General keep up with the increased demand for services and the changes in health care.
In 1995, Kent General unveiled a new Outpatient Rehabilitation Center and a Women's Center. In 1996, the Outpatient Services Center opened on the southwest corner of the hospital, and the St. Jones Center for Behavioral Health, a 48,000-square foot psychiatric facility, opened on a 34-acre plot of land approximately 3 miles east of the Kent General main campus.
In June 2002, the hospital received approval for Phase 1 of a campus expansion project to include three additional floors on the "1986 building." Construction began in August 2003 for this expansion that will upgrade Kent General's neonatal intensive care services, increase delivery room capacity and provide antepartum/GYN beds in one centralized location.
In September 2003, an affiliation agreement was signed with the University of Pennsylvania Health System to provide cardiac surgery services at Kent General Hospital.
Milford Memorial Hospital
Milford Memorial Hospital was founded by Mary Louise Donnell Marshall, who began her efforts to construct a hospital in 1907. During the 1912-13 General Assembly of Delaware, House Bill 194 authorized the establishment of the 12-bed Milford Emergency Hospital in downtown Milford.
In the mid-1930's, a fund drive was started and a new 100-bed hospital, renamed Milford Memorial Hospital, opened in 1938.
In 1954, a four-story clinical addition was constructed at the existing hospital and a separate three-story building was built to house a school of nursing and provide housing for nursing students.
Over the years, as existing facilities were renovated and equipment upgraded, the need for services continued to grow. In 1991, the new Outpatient Services facility and new Surgical Department opened. One year later, the 32,000-square foot Inpatient Rehabilitation Center and Physical Therapy opened on a parcel of land adjacent to Milford Memorial's main campus. In January 2002, a comprehensive, 12,000-square foot Cancer Care Center opened in Milford, adding radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery services previously unavailable at Milford.