UW Medicine history

As the world’s first dialysis organization, we’ve led the way for kidney disease treatment and research since 1962.

In 1964, the center expanded to 10 stations serving 47 patients — growth that led to financial strain.

The process accelerated with the 1966 establishment of the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, focused on joint purchasing, shared facilities, graduate medical education and development of a group practices, furthering joint planning efforts towards a unified medical center.

Passavant and Wesley responded by merging nursing schools, exchanging staff privileges, and combining clinical areas—culminating in the consolidation of the two hospitals on September 1, 1972.

Since 1974, the UW School of Medicine has ranked consistently among the top three schools in receipt of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding.

From its original patient load of 30, the hospital grew to a capacity of 188 beds. (Today’s Northwest Hospital is licensed for 272 beds.) In July 1978, the current four-floor inpatient building opened.

1985: The region's first lithotripter, for treating kidney stones without surgery, is installed.

In late 1990, a $13.3 million expansion was approved by Baltimore County General Hospital’s board, and the hospital added an outpatient treatment center, a cardiac catheterization lab, an endoscopy suite, and a new medical staff support and education building.

1992: Bailey-Boushay House, a facility to care for people living with AIDS, opens and is managed and staffed by Virginia Mason.

In June 1993, Baltimore County General Hospital changed its name to Northwest Hospital Center to reflect that the hospital served patients beyond Baltimore County from Baltimore City and Howard and Carroll counties.

In 1994, construction began on a new 2-million square foot facility on the block bordered by Fairbanks Court, Saint Clair, Huron and Erie Streets.

In July 1996, Northwest opened a 17-bed subacute care unit that provides specialized care for patients who are too sick to return home, but not ill enough to remain in an acute care hospital.

In 1998, Northwest sought to merge with another hospital or group of hospitals to continue its growth.

On May 1, 1999, the 17-story Feinberg Pavilion and 22-story Galter Pavilion opened.

In August 2002, the current Washington Regional Medical Center opened with 233 beds and 345,000 square feet of space on Northhills Boulevard.

Implementation was to span over three years with the first phase beginning August 2005.

Doctor Jonathan Himmelfarb had been appointed to the chair and named the first director of the Kidney Research Institute shortly before Doctor Eschbach’s death in 2007.

2008: Virginia Mason Institute established to provide education and training in the Virginia Mason Production System (VMPS) to other health-care providers and organizations.

On April 1, 2009 the facility opened its new Surgery Center on the second level.

Washington Regional achieved Stage 6 on the global electronic medical record adoption model, one of just 214 hospitals out of 5,000 nationwide who had reached that stage by June 2011.

Our dialysis museum, opened in 2012 in honor of our 50th anniversary, highlights crucial moments in Northwest Kidney Centers’ history, dating back to the early days when an Admissions Committee determined who would receive dialysis — a scarce resource at the time — and who would not.

2016: Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital affiliates with and becomes part of Virginia Mason Health System.

Following Governor Asa Hutchinson’s declaration of a state of emergency on March 11, 2020, Washington Regional immediately implemented its COVID-19 Response Plan, which included establishing Northwest Arkansas’ first coronavirus hotline and screening clinic.

© 2021 Virginia Mason Medical Center