A Century of Caring for the Community
Our founders, the Village Improvement Association (VIA) of Doylestown, began their work in 1895. Their earliest efforts included fundraising to purchase a sprinkler truck to dampen the dusty roads, among other public health initiatives such as hygiene and sanitation. Like other progressive women’s groups of the time, the members of the VIA could not legally vote, yet their collective action ignited a spark of positive change.
In 1923, the VIA established Doylestown Hospital in its first location at Pine and Oakland Streets in Doylestown. Population growth and new demands necessitated a move to Belmont Avenue in 1939. Doylestown Hospital continued to evolve and so did the needs of the community. Since the dedication of the hospital in its current location on State Street in 1975, Doylestown Hospital is the flagship of Doylestown Health, a comprehensive network of care.
We invite you to learn more about our history and milestones.
1895-1923 | A Bold Idea to Improve Community Health is Born
The Village Improvement Association (VIA) begins with a meeting of fourteen forward-thinking women in April at the invitation of Isabella T. Watson. Chief among their concerns are the dusty roads causing respiratory problems for the townspeople.
The vision of a hospital for Doylestown takes hold, and a Hospital Fund is established. Trustees are Isabella Watson, William Mercer Jr, and Dr. Frank Swartzlander.
VIA members donate the first Ambulance to Doylestown Borough. Prior to this donation, severely ill patients had to be transported to Abington or Philadelphia in a borrowed auto delivery wagon.
As the needs of the town grow, so does the need for professional nursing in Doylestown. The VIA hires visiting Nurse Miss Clementine Johnson. Miss Johnson makes home visits as requested, as well as weekly school visits. Fees ranged from 10-50 cents per visit.
Nurse Norma Munsey of Salem Massachusetts, age 28, arrives in Doylestown and begins work for the VIA. She became well-known as she traveled by bicycle to house calls.
Nurse Munsey and temporary assistants make 741 house calls in one month in response to the Spanish Flu pandemic. The VIA Visiting Nurse Program makes a huge difference in the pandemic mortality rate. Doylestown deaths from the Spanish Flu are only 1/3 of those in nearby Perkasie.
The VIA Hospital Committee approves the $6,000 purchase of the John Livezey house at Oakland and Pine Streets for conversion into a hospital. Half the expense is funded by the Hospital Fund, a mortgage is taken for the rest.
The Village Improvement Association (VIA) begins with a meeting of fourteen forward-thinking women in April at the invitation of Isabella T. Watson. Chief among their concerns are the dusty roads causing respiratory problems for the townspeople.
The vision of a hospital for Doylestown takes hold, and a Hospital Fund is established. Trustees are Isabella Watson, William Mercer Jr, and Dr. Frank Swartzlander.
VIA members donate the first Ambulance to Doylestown Borough. Prior to this donation, severely ill patients had to be transported to Abington or Philadelphia in a borrowed auto delivery wagon.
As the needs of the town grow, so does the need for professional nursing in Doylestown. The VIA hires visiting Nurse Miss Clementine Johnson. Miss Johnson makes home visits as requested, as well as weekly school visits. Fees ranged from 10-50 cents per visit.
Nurse Norma Munsey of Salem Massachusetts, age 28, arrives in Doylestown and begins work for the VIA. She became well-known as she traveled by bicycle to house calls.
Nurse Munsey and temporary assistants make 741 house calls in one month in response to the Spanish Flu pandemic. The VIA Visiting Nurse Program makes a huge difference in the pandemic mortality rate. Doylestown deaths from the Spanish Flu are only 1/3 of those in nearby Perkasie.The VIA Hospital Committee approves the $6,000 purchase of the John Livezey house at Oakland and Pine Streets for conversion into a hospital. Half the expense is funded by the Hospital Fund, a mortgage is taken for the rest.1923–1939 | Doylestown Emergency Hospital:
An Auspicious Beginning
October 9 – Dedication service for the new Doylestown Emergency hospital takes place and is equipped with 8 beds and staffed with two nurses.
An Obstetrical Department is added. Visiting nurses provide local schools with physicals, dental exams, shots, eye exams and health education.
Isaiah Closson, a Carversville cattle dealer, bequeaths the hospital committee $47,000, thus enabling the VIA to realize plans to build a larger hospital. 
Summer is one of the busiest seasons thus far at Doylestown Hospital. In July alone, 97 admissions, 22 deliveries, 42 operations, and 23 X-rays keep physicians and hospital staff moving.
On May 28, Mrs. Louise Kerr, Hospital Committee Chair of the VIA, delivers the address at the ceremony to lay the cornerstone of the new hospital at Belmont and Spruce.
October 10 – Dedication service for the new Doylestown Emergency hospital takes place and is equipped with 8 beds and staffed with two nurses.
An Obstetrical Department is added. Visiting nurses provide local schools with physicals, dental exams, shots, eye exams and health education.
Isaiah Closson, a Carversville cattle dealer, bequeaths the hospital committee $47,000, thus enabling the VIA to realize plans to build a larger hospital.
Summer is one of the busiest seasons thus far at Doylestown Hospital. In July alone, 97 admissions, 22 deliveries, 42 operations, and 23 X-rays keep physicians and hospital staff moving.
On May 28, Mrs. Louise Kerr, Hospital Committee Chair of the VIA, delivers the address at the ceremony to lay the cornerstone of the new hospital at Belmont and Spruce.
