Bluffton Mennonite Deaconess Home and Hospital (Bluffton, Ohio, USA)
The former Mennonite hospital in Bluffton, Ohio, had its origin in the Bluffton Sanatorium, a private stock company hospital founded by Dr. J. J. Suter, a local physician. The original institution consisted of a large brick private house remodeled into a 12-bed hospital, and an adjoining home used as a nurses' home located at Main Street and College Avenue. After several preliminary meetings of representatives of the various Mennonite churches of the Bluffton and Pandora communities, the first of which was held on 6 April 1919, it was decided to purchase the sanatorium for a hospital. The institution was formally taken over by the trustees of a newly formed nonprofit corporation on 1 March 1920, and renamed Mennonite Deaconess Home and Hospital. Special concern was expressed by the leaders of the movement that "the deaconess requirement and training shall be the prime feature of the institution." This high ideal was not realized. From the beginning this new organization found it extremely difficult to meet the payments on its capital indebtedness and the deficits in its annual budget. Although considerable effort was put forth in financial drives and in personal solicitations, the Mennonite interests had to seek more and more aid from the local community. In recognition of this fact the name of the institution was changed to Bluffton Community Hospital in 1924. In the same year a Ladies' Auxiliary composed of a representative of each of the various churches of the city and community was formed which gave the institution active support throughout the years. In 1936 the real estate of the hospital was deeded to the city of Bluffton, and with the aid of a liberal federal grant a new hospital was built on Garau Street. This building was now owned by the city, but the hospital was equipped and administered by the trustees of the original Bluffton Community Hospital corporation and such general support as is needed was given by the Ladies' Auxiliary, the churches, the clubs, and other interests of the community.
| Author(s) | I. W Bauman |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1953 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Bauman, I. W. "Bluffton Mennonite Deaconess Home and Hospital (Bluffton, Ohio, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bluffton_Mennonite_Deaconess_Home_and_Hospital_(Bluffton,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=91157.
APA style
Bauman, I. W. (1953). Bluffton Mennonite Deaconess Home and Hospital (Bluffton, Ohio, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bluffton_Mennonite_Deaconess_Home_and_Hospital_(Bluffton,_Ohio,_USA)&oldid=91157.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 371. All rights reserved.
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