Birmingham General Hospital, California
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Birmingham General Hospital was a
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
Hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
in
Van Nuys, California Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley ...
at the corner of Vanowen Street and
Balboa Boulevard Balboa Boulevard is a major north–south street in the city of Los Angeles, and it cuts through many communities and is one of the main thoroughfares in the San Fernando Valley. Name Balboa Boulevard was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, ...
. The hospital was built in 1942 and 1943 to care for troops returning home from oversea service. The first patient checked-in on August 24, 1943. The hospital had 1,777 beds housed in single-story buildings over the 131-acre campus.


Birmingham General Hospital

For a short time when it opened, Birmingham General Hospital was called Van Nuys General Hospital, but was renamed Birmingham General Hospital after Brigadier General Henry Patrick Birmingham (1854–1932), of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. The
War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet ...
approved the construction of the hospital on August 24, 1943. The land was farm land of the Encino Rancho and the Petit Ranch. The 80 single-story buildings were made of brick and some stucco. The hospital also had a
chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
, rehabilitation pool,
gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...
nasium, fire station, bomb shelter, kitchen, movie theater, racquetball/handball court, Pacific Electric street car station (possibly Van Nuys station) and a
Prisoners of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
(POW) wing. An Italian Service Unit with 40 Italian POWs from the
North African campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...
volunteered at the hospital. The Army hospital worked on general medicine of returning
Veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...
s. There was special care for Vets with central nervous system
syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...
,
rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammation#Disorders, inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a Streptococcal pharyngitis, streptococcal throat infection. Si ...
,
quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of Motor control, motor and/or Sense, sensory function in the Cervical vertebrae, cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weak ...
and
paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...
and
shell shock Shell shock is a term that originated during World War I to describe symptoms similar to those of combat stress reaction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which many soldiers suffered during the war. Before PTSD was officially recogni ...
. Due to the war efforts
Penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of beta-lactam antibiotic, β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' Mold (fungus), moulds, principally ''Penicillium chrysogenum, P. chrysogenum'' and ''Penicillium rubens, P. ru ...
was being mass-produced by 1944. The Hospital made use of this new wonder drug in helping Vets. The hospital was also one of the first to use an antibiotic ointment on patients. Maj. Joseph Weinberg used the new antibiotic ointment to help patients with infected
compound fracture An open fracture, also called a compound fracture, is a type of bone fracture (broken bone) that has an open wound in the skin near the fractured bone. The skin wound is usually caused by the bone breaking through the surface of the skin. An open fr ...
s. The hospital also had a wing for women vets, women that served in WAVES ( Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service),
Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC; ) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), on 15 May 1942, and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the United S ...
and Army nurses. For returning Vets, 800 beds were used for debarkation medical work. The first commander of the hospital was Col. Alvin C. Miller, from the US Army's Pearl Harbor Army hospital. Chief of the medical rehabilitation was Jack W. Gregory. Birmingham General Hospital also had a unit to modify cars for those that lost the use of their legs, to drive with hands only. Actress
Susan Peters Susan Peters (born Suzanne Carnahan; July 3, 1921 – October 23, 1952) was an American actress who appeared in more than twenty films over the course of her decade-long career. Though she began her career in uncredited and ingénue roles, she ...
also received a modified Birmingham car after a hunting accident. After the war on 31 March 1946, the hospital was turned over to the
Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...
and renamed Birmingham Veterans Administration Hospital. The
veterans' organization A veterans' organization, also known as an , is an organization composed of persons who served in a country's Military, armed forces, especially those who served in the armed forces during a period of war. The organization's concerns include Vete ...
Paralyzed Veterans of America The Paralyzed Veterans of America was established in 1946 with the goal of serving the needs of disabled veterans. The organization was created to assist members, such as veterans of the armed forces living with spinal cord injuries or diseases l ...
was started at this hospital. The VA Hospital closed in 1950, the Vets at Birmingham were moved to the Veterans Administration Long Beach Hospital. In 1952 the hospital was sold to the Los Angeles City Schools for $1.00. Los Angeles City School opened
Birmingham High School Birmingham Community Charter High School (formerly Birmingham High School) is a charter high school in the neighborhood/district of Lake Balboa in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was founded in 1953 ...
- Birmingham Community Charter High School (BCCHS) on 1953, it served grades seven to 12. Mrs. Albert Zoraster, a member of the Havenhurst Elementary School P.T.A, was credited with having the vision of using the former hospital as a school. Congressman Joseph F. Holt helped make her vision a reality. The school's principal, Dr. John I. Abbott, quickly transformed the shuttered hospital grounds into a school facility. For example, the chapel was converted into a drama classroom. Some original VA buildings, along with the old pools, are still on the high school campus. The land also is used for the current Mulholland Junior High - William Mulholland Middle School. Part of the land was retained by the US Army and used for
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
air defense missile battalion headquarters of the 551st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Missile Battalion, and later the 4th Battalion, 65th Artillery, up until November 1968. This headquarters facility was responsible for the management of Nike Missile Control Sites in the Los Angeles area which operated Nike Ajax missiles and Nike Hercules missiles.


Ernest Bors

In 1945 the US Army opened the first Spinal Cord Injury Center at Birmingham General Army Hospital. The Center used the work of Doctor Ernest Bors (1900–1990), who was one of the foremost experts on neurourology in traumatic spinal cord injury. Bors had developed a holistic
multidisciplinary approach An academic discipline or academic field is a subdivision of knowledge that is taught and researched at the college or university level. Disciplines are defined (in part) and recognized by the academic journals in which research is published, a ...
for treating spinal cord injury which is still used in care centers. At Birmingham General Hospital, Bors treated up to 220 Vets. From around the world, other military doctors visited Birmingham General Hospital so as to learn about these new medical techniques.The American Paraplegia Society 1954-2004: Our legacy, our future. J Spinal Cord Med. 2004;27(4):287-303.


Hollywood

The hospital was located 13 miles north of
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
; as such, many Hollywood actors and actress came to visit the servicemen. Hollywood
Radio personalities A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...
also visited the hospital. During late 1944, the
Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...
Christmas program was broadcast from the hospital. Among these regular visitors were:
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
,
Anne Jeffreys Anne Jeffreys (born Annie Jeffreys Carmichael; January 26, 1923 – September 27, 2017) was an American actress and singer. She was the female lead in the 1950s TV series '' Topper''. Career Jeffreys was born Annie Jeffreys Carmichael on Janu ...
,
Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was an Anglo-South African actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume drama ...
,
Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...
,
Linda Darnell Linda Darnell (born Monetta Eloyse Darnell; October 16, 1923 – April 10, 1965) was an American actress. Darnell progressed from modelling as a child to acting in theatre and film. At the encouragement of her mother, she made her first film in ...
,
Al Pearce Albert Pearce (July 25, 1898 – June 2, 1961) was an American comedian, singer and banjo player who was a popular personality on several radio networks from 1928 to 1947. Biography After selling insurance door-to-door during the 1920s, Pearc ...
,
Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...
,
June Haver June Haver (born Beverly June Stovenour; June 10, 1926 – July 4, 2005) was an American film actress, singer and dancer. Once groomed by 20th Century Fox to be "the next Betty Grable," Haver appeared in a string of Musical film, musicals, but sh ...
,
Jimmy Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...
, Bagelman Sisters,
Clarence Nash Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor and impressionist. He is best remembered as the original voice of the Disney cartoon character Donald Duck. He was born in the rural community of W ...
,
The Charioteers The Charioteers were an American gospel and pop vocal group from 1930 to 1957. History The Charioteers were put together in 1930 by Professor Howard Daniel at Wilberforce University, in Wilberforce, Ohio. They originally called themselves ...
and
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...
. The hospital was used for the 1950 Hollywood movie '' The Men'' which was
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''
's first film; in it, he plays the part of an injured-in-combat World War II veteran. Brando lived as a wheelchair-user for several weeks among the patients in preparation for the role. Birmingham General Hospital was used along with its actual name in the 1950 movie '' Backfire''. The movie was inspired by the work carried out at Birmingham General Hospital's Spinal Cord Injury Center. The main actor plays an injured Vet who falls in love with a Birmingham General Hospital nurse.
Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-American actor, musician, producer, and bandleader. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy'', in whi ...
was stationed at Birmingham General Hospital during the war to entertain the troops there with the
United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
(USO). Arnaz had a bad knee and so was transferred to the US Army Medical Corps. Arnaz also coordinated with the stars that visited the hospital. Arnaz was discharged on November 16, 1945.Who's Who In Hollywood! By Terry Rowan, Desi Arnaz, p. 15


This Is Your Life

The TV show '' This Is Your Life'' came about as an idea for a radio show for a veteran at the hospital. The show was created by
Ralph Edwards Ralph Livingstone Edwards (June 13, 1913DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 86-87. – November 16, 2005) was an American radio ...
in 1948. The US Army asked Edwards to "do something" for paraplegic soldiers at the hospital. In ''This Is Your Life'' the host would surprise one person by bringing on guests from that person's life in front of an audience. The people from the person's life could be colleagues, friends, and family. A Vet down on his luck was picked as the first person on the show ''
Truth or Consequences ''Truth or Consequences'' is an American game show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards (1940–57) and later on television by Edwards (1950–54), Jack Bailey (1954–56), Bob Barker (1956–75), Steve Dunne (1957–58), Bob Hi ...
''. The show was a hit and ''This Is Your Life'' was started as its own show.


See also

*
California during World War II California during World War II was a major contributor to the World War II effort. California's long Pacific Ocean coastline provided the support needed for the Pacific War. California also supported the European theatre of World War II, war in ...
* American Theater (1939–1945) *
Desert Training Center The Desert Training Center (DTC), also known as California–Arizona Maneuver Area (CAMA), was a World War II training facility established in the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert, largely in Southern California and Western Arizona in 1942. It ...
*
United States home front during World War II The United States home front during World War II supported the war effort in many ways, including a wide range of volunteer efforts and submitting to government-managed rationing and price controls. There was a general feeling of agreement that ...
*
Veterans Health Administration The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the healthcare program of the VA through a Nationali ...
*
DeWitt General Hospital DeWitt General Hospital was a World War II US Army Hospital in Auburn, California, in Placer County at the corner of C Avenue and First Street. The hospital was built in 1944 to care for troops returning home from overseas service and troops that ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birmingham Hospital Formerly Used Defense Sites in California California in World War II 1943 establishments in California Military hospitals in the United States Defunct hospitals in California