1902: Battle Creek Sanitarium in Flames - After a fire destroys most of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, tensions grow between the Seventh-day Adventist Church and John Harvey Kellogg over rebuilding plans and theological issues.
1904: Hinsdale Sanitarium - C.B. Kimball loans Dr. David Paulson $16,000 to buy a choice property to create the Hinsdale Sanitarium in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale, Illinois.
1905: Glendale Sanitarium - Adventists’ Southern California Conference is $40,000 in debt when John Burden puts down $20 of his own money for the Glendale Hotel, creating the Glendale Sanitarium. The conference pays off the balance in three years.
1905: Loma Linda Sanitarium - Through prayer and a faithful church leader, a beautiful property is purchased near the mountains of Southern California. The Loma Linda Sanitarium came with steam heat, five cottages, nearly a mile of sidewalks and 76 acres of gardens and orchards.
1907: Washington Sanitarium - A four-story structure with large verandas becomes the new home for the Washington Sanitarium in Takoma Park, Maryland — Montgomery County’s first health care facility.
1908: Florida Sanitarium - With $4.83 in hand, Rufus Parmele offers $9,000 for a failed tuberculosis facility in Orlando, Florida. Church members raise the balance to establish the 20-bed Florida Sanitarium.
1910: Ellen White urges church members to move south to establish education and medical work in the region. The first health care facility for the people of western North Carolina, what became the Mountain Sanitarium, begins in two treatment rooms in Fletcher Academy, a local school.
1913: White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles, California - Four women of incredible faith, talent and financial means interrupt a board meeting to decide the fate of the College of Medical Evangelism. They ask the men to allow the school to continue and that a teaching hospital be built in Los Angeles to house the clinical needs of students. They suggested naming the hospital after church founder Ellen White, who had recently passed away.
1930: Porter Sanitarium - A Glendale Sanitarium physical therapist who refused a tip and a 45-cent refund from another Adventist sanitarium inspire Colorado businessman Henry Porter and his daughter to donate $330,000 to create the Porter Sanitarium in Denver.
1932: First Telehealth Consultation - Dr. John Harvey Kellogg makes the first telehealth call — a medical consultation held over trans-oceanic wires with the son of a British member of Parliament.
1946: Federal funds provided for health care by the Hill-Burton Act prompt communities to work with Adventist hospitals, already known for excellent patient care.
1948: Adventists acquire a former Air Force hotel and the U.S. Navy donates a shipload of equipment to create the Walker Memorial Sanitarium and Hospital in Avon Park, Florida. A replacement facility opened in Sebring in 1997.
The Early Days: 1863 to 1900
In 1866, Seventh-day Adventists opened what became known as Battle Creek Sanitarium. Learn more about our roots.
A Different Kind of Health Care: 1900 to 1950
Seventh-day Adventist health pioneers promoted a new way to live healthy and whole that stood in stark contrast to the medical practices of the day.
Changing Times: 1950 to 2000
Health care was rapidly changing, and some communities turned to Adventist hospital leaders for guidance and help.
Expanding Markets: 2000 to 2022
With a new millennium came a time of expansion. AdventHealth grew its footprint well beyond Central Florida, opening facilities in multiple states across the country.
AdventHealth Today
Now flourishing as a national brand, we continue our legacy of whole-person care by Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ to our patients and communities.