Beebe Healthcare history

Constructed in 1921, the Benjamin F. and Helen M. Shaw Building expanded Beebe Hospital to a 35-bed facility.

The Shaw's philanthropic nature again led to another wing in 1927 in memory of their daughter, Natalie Townsend Shaw.

The $100,000 Mary Thompson Wing addition to the Beebe Hospital was dedicated in 1938.

Doctor James Beebe, Jr., the first certified surgeon in Sussex County and son of one of the founders, developed the first cancer tumor registry in Delaware in 1950.

Another addition to the Shaw Building, in 1958, provided all the privacy and operating efficiency needed to care for newborns, as well as a Pediatric Department with colorful cribs and beds.

The physical growth of the school came quite later with the dedication of the Jean Ellen DuPont McConnell Nurses Home in 1960.

That was how Delaware Governor Russell Peterson described Doctor James Beebe and Doctor Richard C. Beebe when he spoke at an open house at Beebe Hospital in 1970.

Beebe Hospital opened a summertime Emergency Room in 1981 in the resort town of Bethany Beach as the only freestanding seasonal emergency facility in Delaware.

Beebe Home Care Services has provided care to people throughout southern Delaware since 1985.

Beebe's growth continued with the acquisition of Lewes Convalescent Center in December 1995 which was later used for office space for Beebe's growing team.

1999: Completed the Long Neck Health Center to bring family physicians and lab services to the Long Neck area.

2003: The Rehoboth Beach Health Campus - Beebe Outpatient Center opens to serve patients west of Route 1 for outpatient services, including diagnostic imaging, women's imaging, express testing, and physical therapy.

2007: New Tunnell Cancer Center facility opens on Rehoboth Beach Health Campus property on Route 24, moving from the main campus in Lewes.

2008: Hudson Wing opens offering 37-bed Emergency Department, 20-bed Critical Care Unit.

In 2013, Beebe Medical Center changed its name to Beebe Healthcare, reflecting the expansive community health system that it has become with seven outpatient locations, multiple Beebe Medical Group locations, and a vibrant medical center in downtown Lewes.

2014: Beebe opens the Georgetown Health Campus, west of Route 113, with Walk-In Care, Physical Rehabilitation Services, and Diagnostic Imaging to serve the community.

2015: The new Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing at Beebe Healthcare opens.

2016: Beebe Healthcare celebrates its 100th anniversary with community seminars, events, and the publication of a cookbook and a history book.

2017: Plans are made and construction begins to add a new Heart and Vascular Center of Excellence at the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus.