HISTORY
Founded in 1893, Noble Hospital is the flagship of Noble Health Systems. The
hospital owes its existence to Reuben Noble, a Westfield native born in 1820 who
made his fortune in manufacturing whips, and who bequeathed a large portion of
his estate to the establishment of a hospital that would serve the residents of
the greater Westfield community. Mr. Noble took this action after suffering a
serious injury and recognizing the need for a local hospital.
Reuben Noble died on June 3, 1890, and the trustees named in Mr. Noble's will
were incorporated in 1893. During the next four years the trustees, which Mr.
Noble insisted should always include at least four women, authorized the purchase
of property and awarded a contract for the building of the hospital to be named
after its founder-benefactor.
The original Noble Hospital had 20 beds and was staffed by eight physicians.
During 1897, the hospital's first year of operation, 114 patients were admitted.
Patients paid $7 a week for a ward and $15 a week for a private room.
In 1902, Mrs. Louisa Keep, a member of the Board of Trustees, donated money for
a building for the treatment of patients with contagious diseases. The Keep Memorial
Building was built in 1903 as a memorial to Mrs. Keep's husband, James. The building
was expanded in 1927.
A Nurses' Training School opened in 1905, with its first class graduating in
1908. The school graduated 144 nurses before closing in 1936.
The Woronoco Surgery building was added in 1906, adding 30 beds to the hospital
which was remodeled in 1920 to include a maternity ward, x-ray department, emergency
operating room, laundry and kitchen, and several new private rooms and baths.
Through the years renovations and additions were made to the hospital until,
in 1955, the Board of Trustees voted to launch a drive to raise $1,250,000 to
build a new hospital. On November 24, 1958, after raising nearly $1,500,000, the
new hospital was occupied. The original building was demolished and in its place
a parking lot for visitors was constructed.
The current Noble Hospital has seen many changes since it opened in 1958 including
the opening of the Fowler-Salmond Memorial Wing as a convalescent unit in 1964;
the addition of the North Wing to include a new Emergency Department, x-ray and
laboratory facilities, as well as, additional patient rooms in 1974; the conversion
of the Fowler-Salmond Wing to a psychiatric unit in 1981; the opening of the new
ICU/CCU in 1984; the opening of Same Day Care services in 1987; and the opening
of the Bronson Rehabilitation Center in 1989. In 1995, in response to the trend
toward fewer overnight hospital stays, a 24,000 square foot addition was built
to house the Center for Surgical and Ambulatory Care. Immediately thereafter,
the hospital's third floor was completely renovated to accommodate Medical Day
Care services, such as oncology, occupational health, endoscopies, urology and
a wide variety of patient education services and specialty clinics. In 1998 the
Women's Center opened in renovated space on the first floor. The Center features
state-of-the-art technology including Mammography with the R2 ImageChecker and
Woman's Touch MammoPad; Bone Density Scanning; Ultrasound; Stereotactic Breast
Biopsy and Screenings for such conditions as Osteoporosis, Breast Cancer, Cervical
Cancer, Cardiovascular Health and more. In 2004 the Women's Center was expanded
to include comprehensive OB/GYN Services including pre and post natal care, annual
checkups,nutrition counseling,childbirth education, exercise calsses and post-partum
counseling. These services are augmented by an affiliation agreement between the
Women's Center OB/GYN Services and Baystate Medical Center.
In the summer of 2004, the hospital opened its new 8,000 square foot Cardiac
Center on the lower level of the Surgical Center. The center is designed for the
diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cardiac disease. Along with other state-of-the-art
equipment, the center features the "gold standard" in cardiac diagnostics, Nuclear
Cardiology.
In June 1996, Noble Hospital affiliated with University of Massachusetts Medical
Center, now UMass Memorial Health Care. the affiliation with this world class
teaching facility provides Noble Hospital with valuable resources and services.