Exceptional history
Our history dates back to 1883 with the creation of the first “St. Albans Hospital,” made possible in large part through the generosity of benefactor Chauncey Warner. The original hospital structure in the center of St. Albans was destroyed by fire in 1888 and rebuilt in 1889. From 1898 to 1948, the St. Albans Hospital had its own School of Nursing. In 1948, Jeanne Kerbs funded the construction of a new hospital for St. Albans, the Kerbs Memorial Hospital, in gratitude for the life saving care her son had received following an accidental gunshot at Killkare. However, rather than serving as a replacement/upgrade to the St. Albans Hospital, Kerbs became a competitor less than a mile up the street from the St. Albans Hospital. The two hospitals finally merged in 1978 to form Northwestern Medical Center.
In 1996, the consolidation of services onto the Kerbs site was completed. With that, the St. Albans Hospital building was sold to the local high school for $1 plus the cost of the land for use in their expansion project. In now serves the community as “BFA North”. The hospital building atop Fairfield Street has undergone a number of expansions and renovations over the years to keep pace with changing community needs and advances in medical technology. We have also seen the creation of a healthcare campus surrounding the hospital with the relocation of many physician practices and community services. At the same time, NMC has reached out beyond our campus and into the surrounding communities, with employed physician offices, urgent care, physical therapy, nursing education, and other community-based efforts.
Meanwhile, NMC has grown in size and scope – while maintaining our “small” feel. Our private inpatient rooms, busy emergency department, efficient surgical suite, homelike Family Birth Center, and attached Medical Office Building are core components of our facility. NMC has integrated inpatient and outpatient care through the Meditech System – an enterprise-wide computer system and electronic medical record, representing a significant technological advancement for the hospital. Through careful strategic planning and continued community involvement and support, NMC continues to invest in the staff, physicians, equipment, information systems, and facilities necessary to provide exceptional care for our community.