History | Bellevue Hospital

The History of Bellevue Woman's Hospital

Bellevue Woman's Center was founded as Bellevue Woman's Hospital in 1931 by Mary Grace Jorgensen, a 28 year old nurse, mother of three and a pioneer who wanted to meet the special needs of women, their babies and families. Bellevue Woman's Center exists today as a symbol of dedication to women's health needs.

History runs deep at Bellevue - it began as the one of the first hospitals to import mammography technology and played host to numerous medical pioneers: such as Dr. Virginia Apgar, who designed and introduced the Apgar score for newborns and Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a renowned child development specialist. At a time when women had home births, the hospital was a one-of-a-kind institution.

Bellevue converted from being privately owned to not-for-profit in November 2001. Five years later, Ellis Medicine assumed responsibility for these services when Bellevue Woman’s Hospital surrendered its license in the wake of state healthcare reform mandates.

To learn more about Ellis Medicine, please call 518.243.3333.