Editor's Note: This information came from a press release sent to Los Gatos Patch by El Camino Hospital Los Gatos. It may have been edited for clarity and brevity.
December celebrated an important milestone in the history of health care in the community—the 50th anniversary of 815 Pollard Rd.
Back in the days when the area was mostly agricultural, a group of physicians set out to establish a local hospital that could serve the needs of a growing community. One of those founding physicians was Dr. Allen McGrath, who continues to practice internal medicine today.
“The community has seen significant change in the last 50 years, but one thing that remains constant is our ability to provide the community with quality health care services.”
Opened on Dec. 17, 1962, Los Gatos Hospital had 288 employees and 100 physicians on the medical staff, which provided mostly primary and emergency care.
Today, there are more than 380 physicians, 500 employees and 135 volunteers who provide a number of specialty services that are well-renowned within the community.
The Los Gatos campus has made a name for itself in the area of orthopedics having opened the Orthopedic Pavilion in 2011, which offers patients an environment that facilitates healing and focuses on returning to regular activities as soon as possible.
The hospital has also gained recognition for its one-of-a-kind comprehensive Men’s Health Program and rehabilitation services both acute and outpatient. A founding hospital service, labor and delivery and post-partum care continue to provide family’s with birthing options unique to their needs.
Also among those early physicians was Dr. F. Gilbert Gregory, who, in 1962 had just finished his residency at the University of California, San Francisco and was looking for a place to practice.
Attracted by the idyllic scenery and growing community, Gregory settled in the area and joined a growing medical practice. He fondly recalls a time in which physicians made house calls and how a costume gorilla head once treated a heart arrhythmia.
The Los Gatos hospital has been a mainstay in the community and its recent partnership with El Camino Hospital enables its patients to have even greater access to health-care resources while still retaining its local identity.
As the health-care environment continues to change, the Los Gatos campus is well-positioned to make the changes it needs to continue meeting the community’s needs for the next 50 years.
