INDIANAPOLIS – Community Hospital East revealed part of Community Health Network’s 60-year history with the opening of two time capsules in the hospital’s main lobby recently.
The time capsules were unearthed as part of the ongoing $175 million construction project to build a new hospital there, and allowed patients and employees an opportunity to look through a unique window into the past.
The first capsule was buried 1955, the year ground broke on Community East, and contained numerous items such as a vial of poliomyelitis vaccine, a U.S. Flag with 48 stars and a list of the donors who gave money for the new hospital. The top three donors were Allison Division, General Motors Corporation; Eli Lilly and Company; and Radio Corporation of America (RCA).
The second capsule was buried in 1991 when a new main lobby, entrance and professional building opened. It contained items such as a pamphlet for those coping with the recent Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; a video cassette with a Community commercial; and a copy of the book The Deming Management Method, required reading for many hospital employees at the time.
Community’s story began 60 years ago when residents on Indianapolis’ east side desired health care close to their homes. Financial contributions poured in from businesses and private citizens to fund the idea of a neighborhood hospital, with volunteers conducting house-to-house campaigns.
What evolved into today’s Community Health Network started with the opening of Community Hospital, now Community East, with 300 beds and 111 employees in 1956.
Since that time, Community has grown into a leading not-for-profit health system offering convenient access to expert physicians, advanced treatments and leading-edge technology, with more than 200 sites of care focused on enhancing the health and well-being of residents across central Indiana.
