Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center was a historical, general medical and surgical hospital located in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

and affiliated with

Bon Secours Health System (USA) Bon Secours is a not-for-profit Marriottsville, Maryland-based Catholic health system founded in 1983 that owns, manages, or joint ventures 19 acute care hospitals, one psychiatric hospital, five nursing care facilities, four assisted living facili ...

History

Founded in 1855, as the Hospital of St. Vincent de Paul, DePaul was Norfolk's first civilian and

public hospital A public hospital, or government hospital, is a hospital which is government owned and is fully funded by the government and operates solely off the money that is collected from taxpayers to fund healthcare initiatives. In some countries, this typ ...

. The hospital was originally located on Church and Wood St. in the

downtown Norfolk Downtown Norfolk serves as the traditional center of commerce, government, and culture in the Hampton Roads region. Norfolk, Virginia's downtown waterfront shipping and port activities historically played host to numerous and often noxious port and ...

in the home of the late Miss Ann Plume Behan Herron. When Herron died of

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

in 1855, being a wealthy patron, she willed the house to the sisters for the purpose of founding a hospital. The Hospital of St. Vincent DePaul was incorporated in 1856 by eight Daughters of Charity during the yellow fever epidemic. The Sisters of the Daughters of Charity came to Norfolk in 1839 to run St. Mary's Orphan Asylum and care for the sick and dying during the yellow fever epidemic in Norfolk. Starting with just eight rooms, a clinic for the poor was added in 1892, and a

nursing school Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ca ...

began in 1893. In 1899, a fire nearly destroyed the hospital that had grown to 150 rooms, but it was rebuilt and enlarged in 1901. In 1944 the hospital was renamed DePaul Hospital and moved to its present location at Kingsley Lane and

Granby St. Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

in the city of

. After, the hospital moved the basement and annexes of the old hospital, and housed classes for the Norfolk Division of the Virginia State College (now

Norfolk State University Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership. History The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 a ...

) until 1958. DePaul is the oldest

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

public hospital in Virginia. In 1996, the

Sisters of Bon Secours The Congregation of the Sisters of Bon Secours is an international Roman Catholic women's religious congregation for nursing (''gardes malades''), whose declared mission is to care for those who are sick and dying. It was founded by Josephine Pot ...

extended the Daughters of Charity ministry by assuming the sponsorship for DePaul. On March 31, 2021, DePaul Medical Center was permanently closed to Acute care services. Many services were transferred to Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va., leaving Sentara Norfolk General Hospital as the remaining hospital in downtown Norfolk.

References

External links

Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center official site
Bon Secours Sisters Hospital buildings completed in 1901 Hospital buildings completed in 1944 Hospitals in Virginia Buildings and structures in Norfolk, Virginia Catholic hospitals in North America {{Virginia-hospital-stub

History

See also

References

External links