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HEALTH Providence turns 50 It replaced Sacred Heart Hospital in 1966 Comment By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Follow @@RyanPfeil MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Follow @@RyanPfeil Posted Mar. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Follow @@RyanPfeil Posted Mar. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Nearly 50 years ago, then-Mail Tribune news editor Cleve Twitchell joined a troupe of 39 hospital patients as they moved to their new home. Twitchell, who had been undergoing chemotherapy for an aggressive cancer, took up residence at Providence Medford Medical Center on April 14, 1966. "Doctors said, 'Do you want to be part of the move?' I said, 'Sure, why not,'" Twitchell, now 78, said. About a month prior — March 19, 1966 — the new hospital was dedicated at 1111 Crater Lake Ave. It replaced the Sacred Heart Hospital that had been open since 1912 and was starting to show its age. Now called Providence Medford Medical Center, the "new" building turns 50 Saturday. The hospital will recognize the anniversary Friday with a Mass at Mary Norbert Hall followed by a reception. The Sisters of Providence came to Medford in May 1911, when about 30 physicians operated in the town of 11,500 residents, according to Providence archives. The sisters agreed to take over Southern Oregon Hospital, a two-floor facility deemed "inadequate for physicians determined to bring modern medical care to the Rogue Valley," and oversee construction of a new one. By January 1912, Sacred Heart Hospital had been built on Nob Hill, a multiple-story brick structure. "Complete in every detail, equipped with every device known to modern science, standing upon a site without an equal in the northwest ... Medford's new hospital, erected at a cost of $150,000, is without a peer on the Pacific coast," a February 1912 Mail Tribune clipping reads. The facility operated there until the early 1960s, when hospital officials took note of the needed repairs. "It was just general wear and tear. The building was old and in need of major renovation," said the Rev. Jim Clifford, Providence Medford's director of mission and spiritual care. For a time, the sisters debated whether to stay in the city or move on to another ministry that needed their help. "When the community found out the sisters were considering leaving, they stepped up," said hospital spokeswoman Hillary Brown. A fundraising effort began. By 1963, $650,000 had been raised, along with at least one other $623,000 Hill-Burton Act grant. Construction wrapped, and the building was dedicated March 19, 1966. A month later, Twitchell took part in the 39-patient exodus. Twitchell recalls they were taken one at a time. Some, like himself, traveled by ambulance. The complete patient transfer took about three hours. "It went smoothly. It was pleasant to be in new surroundings," Twitchell said, adding the new digs also felt like an upgrade. "(They) had single care rooms. You didn't have to share with somebody." Since the new building's official opening, Providence Medford Medical Center has grown to a 168-bed facility, according to its website. Twitchell's ongoing chemotherapy treatments for the testicular cancer that had also spread to his lungs — 17 five-day regimens — ended successfully in 1971. "It's a very special memory. It was quite something to live through," Twitchell said of the move and subsequent successful care. "I'm alive, and that's the important thing." Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Follow @@RyanPfeil MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Follow @@RyanPfeil Posted Mar. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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