History of RGH

The story of Rochester General Hospital is really a story of four hospitals and the community's effort to bring them into existence - Rochester City Hospital, 1847 to 1911; Rochester General and its Westside Division, 1911 to 1966; Rochester General Northside Division, 1956 to 1966; and today's Rochester General. It tells a story of people and the community and how they overcame the obstacles that continue to arise to this day. The themes of funding, disease, technology, and modernization are all here. No story of an institution that is 150 years old can be simply told.

The major eras of the hospital's history are highlighted separately. These vignettes of history reveal a story of people and their community and how their efforts made this hospital possible. Many of these people have receded into history while others are still making their contributions to the institution.

This institution's story is the sum total of everyone's effort, everyone's story.