History

Celebrating 50 Years of Caring

2002 marks the 50-year anniversary of Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital. Below is a brief timeline of the history of health care in Benzie County, and of Paul Oliver and its continued progress in providing quality health care for the people of Benzie County.

1931 — Adele Oliver, RN, opens Haldeman Hospital, the first hospital in Frankfort. Intended only for maternity patients, this well-staffed facility operated until 1937.

1937 — Owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Powers, the Anna Markham Memorial Hospital in Frankfort is made ready for the care of maternity patients.

1944 — The "Benzie Hospital Association" organizes to raise funds for the construction of a new hospital building in Frankfort. The following year, work begins and it is decided to name the new facility after Dr. Paul Oliver, a summer resident who had been very generous with his gifts of time and financial support over the years.

1951 — Anna Markham Hospital closes and all patients, equipment, and business affairs are turned over to Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital, the new 29-bed general hospital.

1963 — An expansion to Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital increases the laboratory and kitchen areas.

1972 — A $1 million project expands the emergency room and adds a new wing to the Hospital. The new wing is named in honor of Charles Ward Seabury and Louise Seabury.

1980 — Ground is broken for the largest expansion in the Hospital's history. The project involves expansion of the emergency room and outpatient services, and a refurbishing of intensive care.

1986 — Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital becomes an affiliate of Munson Healthcare and 18 beds are designated to accommodate a new Long-term Care Unit.

1994 — "The Modernization Project," expansion of the Radiology and Emergency Departments concludes, along with the addition of a Medical Procedure Room, Respiratory Therapy, and Specialty Clinics.

1999 — Renovation is completed on new rehabilitation departments and access to high quality physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy services double.

1999 — Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital becomes the First Critical Access hospital in the State (Sept. 1), leading the way for 14 other hospitals to achieve this status for special Medicare reimbursement.

2000 — The Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital Foundation commits to a two-year goal of raising $400,000 to finance four improvements — the addition of an ultrasound machine, a bone density machine, a hospice program, and equipment for a new kitchen to provide meals for residents of the Long-term Care Unit.

2001 — The new Kitchen at Paul Oliver opens.

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