History

During the 1900s, McKees Rocks General Hospital was established in Norwood by Dr. S.M. Black and was chartered in 1906 as Ohio Valley General Hospital. Because the hospital’s 30 beds were usually filled to capacity, a new wing was added in 1909. In 1930, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, with a long tradition of healthcare ministry, took over management of the hospital, although the institution remained non-sectarian. As time passed, as many as 83 patients were crowded into a facility designed for 60 beds.

Mrs. Edward B. Heckel, in honor of her husband, a skilled physician, made acreage available to the hospital for a nominal price, just two miles from the original site. In December 1947, the cornerstone was laid and the new building opened in the spring of 1949.

The School of Nursing, accommodating 65 students, was constructed in 1956 and fully accredited in 1959. Since 1963, the hospital has also operated a School of Radiologic Technology.

In 1968 The School of Nursing was remodeled, and a three story addition to the Hospital enlarged the Emergency and Outpatient facilities, provided new offices for physicians and administrators and added new Laboratory and Radiology facilities.

Renovation of the nursing units has been ongoing and the Medical Office Building was opened in May, 1988. Improvements to the facility and critical upgrades—like our state of the art surgical suites and high tech ob/gyn unit—continue to this day.

Recent expansion includes the Residence at Willow Lane, a contemporary assisted living community, and the construction of Willow Heights, an independent living facility.