Healthcare in Weld County has a history of making news. Weld County Hospital at Island Grove was the site of groundbreaking public and women’s health programs organized by Greeley’s prestigious female physician, Dr. Ella Mead. In the 1920s, Dr. Mead was instrumental in implementing child welfare programs in public schools, as well as birth control clinics in Weld, a thorny endeavor even in today’s times.
In the 1940s, Weld County outgrew resources offered by the hospital and so plans for a larger Weld County Public Hospital emerged. The new facility, located at 16th St. and 17th Ave., was completed in 1952 and accommodated approximately 220 beds and flaunted state-of-the-art amenities such as radiant heat, patient- nurse intercoms, and even a TrayVeyor, a conveyor belt contraption used to transport food trays in the building. Weld County General Hospital is now called North Colorado Medical Center, which occupies the same building with several additions.
Written by Sarah Saxe, Museums Manager
The first neurological surgery performed at the newly built Weld County General Hospital, June 9, 1953.
COGM 2000.04.0003.4, Skeets Calvin Collection