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Alta Alice Miner Bates (December 11, 1879 – November 30, 1955) was an American
nurse anesthetist
A nurse anesthetist is an advanced practice nurse who administers anesthesia for surgery or other medical procedures. They are involved in the administration of anesthesia in a majority of countries, with varying levels of autonomy.
A survey pu ...
and the founder of the hospital now known as
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center
Sutter Health Alta Bates Summit Medical Center is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its three hospital campuses are located in Berkeley (Alta Bates Campus, Herrick Campus) and Oakland (Summit Campus). Alta Bates Summit is a ...
. She was the first registered nurse in
Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463. The county seat is Eureka.
Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna, California Micropolitan Statistica ...
, and later the first nurse anesthetist in the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
.
Bates managed Alta Bates Hospital, serving as hospital director from 1905 to 1949.
Early life and education
Bates was born in 1879 in
Lapeer, Michigan
Lapeer ( ') is a City (Michigan), city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Lapeer County, Michigan, Lapeer County. As of the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census, the city population was 8,841. Most of the city was incorporat ...
.
She and her family later moved to Northern California.
At age 23, Bates was the first nurse to graduate from the Eureka Training School for Nurses.
She completed her training in 1903 at Sequoia Hospital, also in
Eureka, California
Eureka (Wiyot: ''Jaroujiji'', Hupa: ''do'-wi-lotl-ding'', Karuk: ''uuth'') is the principal city and county seat of Humboldt County in the Redwood Empire region of California. The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humboldt ...
.
Career
In 1904, Bates cared for women and their newborn babies in her parents' home on Walnut Street in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
.
At the time, there was no local hospital.
The following year, Bates founded an eight-bed
sanitarium for women and children
at 2314 Dwight Way.
Established with about $100,
the Bates Sanitarium
also served as a nursing school.
Its first class of nursing students graduated in 1906.
Impressed by her work and vision, local physicians and community leaders helped Bates expand the building, securing funding to purchase two blocks on Webster Street.
The new three-story institution opened in 1908.
In 1928, the building was expanded into a six-story building at Regent and Webster streets. The 112-bed hospital was dedicated and renamed Alta Bates Hospital.
In 1946, the hospital was renamed Alta Bates Community Hospital and established as a non-profit with a board of directors.
In addition to serving as director of the hospital and nursing school, Bates served as chief anesthetist of the hospital.
Bates was a prominent early anesthetist in California, administering over 14,000 anesthetics.
After training over 330 nurses, Bates's nursing school closed in 1934.
Due to health problems, Bates retired from her role as the director of the hospital in 1949.
Personal life
Bates lived with her mother, Ursula; her brother, Louis; and her adopted children, Charles and Peggy.
Death
After her retirement, Bates was cared for in a nursing home on Webster Street in Berkeley, where she was nursed by former students.
She died in 1955 at age 75.
References
External links
Profile: Alta Alice Miner Bates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Alta
1879 births
1955 deaths
American nurses
American women nurses
American anesthesiologists
History of Berkeley, California
History of women in California
People from Lapeer, Michigan
People from Berkeley, California
Women anesthesiologists