Northridge Hospital Medical Center is a

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

in the Northridge district of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, US. It is currently operated by

Dignity Health Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West) was a California-based not-for-profit public-benefit corporation that operates hospitals and ancillary care facilities in three states. Dignity Health was the fifth-largest hospital system in th ...

History

The hospital was founded in 1955 by Dr. Frederick Gruneck as a 49-bed hospital with one emergency room. In 1979 Northridge Hospital and Valley Hospital in

Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, t ...

created a joint parent company – HealthWest. HealthWest expanded to become a multi-hospital nonprofit. In 1988, HealthWest merged with the Lutheran Hospital Society of Southern California, the parent company of

California Hospital Medical Center Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center is located in the South Park district of downtown Los Angeles, California at 1401 S. Grand Avenue. The 318-bed community hospital has been serving downtown and its neighboring communities for we ...

, to form UniHealth. The hospital was at the epicenter of the

1994 Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake was a moment 6.7 (), blind thrust earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 4:30:55 a.m. PST in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The quake had a duration of approximately ...

, but remained open to treat over 1,000 patients in the 48 hours following the earthquake. In 1995, Valley Hospital was merged into Northridge Hospital. UniHealth struggled financially in the 1990s after acquiring physician groups in difficulties, and in 1998, UniHealth sold its hospitals to

Catholic Healthcare West Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West) was a California-based not-for-profit public-benefit corporation that operates hospitals and ancillary care facilities in three states. Dignity Health was the fifth-largest hospital system in th ...

. CHW became Dignity Health in 2012.

Services

The emergency department at Northridge Hospital Medical Center is one of only two in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

that is certified as a

trauma center A trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major trauma, major traumatic injuries such as Falling (accident), falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. A trauma cent ...

and the only one that is a certified PEDIATRIC trauma center. The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Cancer Center is also located at the hospital.

References

External links

*
Northridge Hospital Medical Center in the CA Healthcare Atlas
— ''a project by OSHPD''. * {{authority control Hospitals in Los Angeles Hospitals in the San Fernando Valley Northridge, Los Angeles Dignity Health Healthcare in Los Angeles Former Catholic hospitals Hospital buildings completed in 1955 1955 establishments in California Trauma centers