Milestones in Sequoia’s History
The many hallmarks of Sequoia Hospital’s rich history have established its record of leadership in healthcare and laid the foundation for the exciting future ahead. Below, view some of the highlights.
1938 Mrs. Henry Beeger, as the leader of a group of nine women, appealed to the City Council of Redwood City for a community hospital to serve the residents of southern San Mateo County.
1946 Under newly enacted state laws, voters approved the formation of the Sequoia Healthcare District. District communities included Redwood City, Belmont, San Carlos, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Woodside and Atherton.
1947 Voters approved $2.1 million in financing for Sequoia Hospital, California’s first district hospital and the prototype that 65 others would follow.
1950 Sequoia Hospital was dedicated on October 15. The first patient was admitted on October 25 to what was then California’s newest and most modern hospital. Sequoia, with 106 beds, reached full capacity within a year.
1954 A new 102-bed wing was dedicated.
1960 Sequoia’s third 140-bed wing was dedicated, bringing total beds to 348 and total bassinets to 32. The Intensive Care Unit and Physical Therapy Department opened.
1964 The Pulmonary Therapy Department and the Coronary Care Unit opened.
1966 Long-term skilled nursing care began. 1968 The Psychiatric Unit opened, one of the first hospital units in the state.
1977 The hospital’s first coronary artery bypass surgeries were performed.
1980 The first percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was performed.
1985 In the mid-1980s, Dr Hardwin Mead and Dr Roger Winkle implanted the world’s first tiered therapy defibrillator.
1989 The Diabetes Center opened.
1993 The Health and Wellness Center debuted, providing education, health screenings and wellness programs to the community.
1996 Sequoia Healthcare District residents voted to affiliate Sequoia Hospital with Catholic Healthcare West (CHW).
1999 Sequoia partnered with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital to open an on-site Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
2004 Sequoia Hospital/San Francisco State University Baccalaureate Nursing Program at Canada College opened. Funded by the Sequoia Healthcare District, this is an accelerated program where student nurses receive a Bachelor of Science Nursing Degree. First class of 27 graduated in Spring 2006.
2007 An agreement between Sequoia Healthcare District and CHW financed the hospital’s rebuild, as CHW assumed ownership. Groundbreaking took place November 15, 2007.
2008 CHW ownership became effective January 1, 2008. Rebuilding began with phase one of construction, the new parking garage.
2008 Sequoia received Joint Commission Survey on Stroke Care certification.
2008 The hospital’s first robotic surgery was preformed using the newly acquired da Vinci Surgical System.
2009 Cardiac Arrhythmia Program completed 1,000 atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) ablation procedures, making it the highest total volume A-Fib ablation institution on the West Coast.
2009 New parking garage opened and rebuilding continued toward phase two of construction, the new pavilion.
2011 Sequoia’s Heart and Vascular Institute celebrated two “firsts” – Dr Gregory Engel performed the first use of the Medtronic Revo MRI SureScan pacing system in Northern California. Dr Hardwin Mead implanted the first Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (S-ICD) System in Northern California.
2011 Sequoia was the first hospital on the Peninsula and in San Francisco, Marin County and the East Bay, to utilize Airstrip OB™, which provides physicians with remote access to vital real-time data about their maternity patients including the ability to monitor fetal heartbeat tracings, maternal contraction patterns, vital signs and other pertinent information about their patients.
2012 Catholic Healthcare West changed its name to Dignity Health and its governance structure.
2012 First hospital in Northern California to implant the new Boston Scientific S-ICD® System, the world's first and only commercially available subcutaneous implantable defibrillator (S-ICD) for the treatment of patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest. The procedure was performed by Dr. Gregory Engel, MD.
2012 Sequoia implemented the Cerner Electronic Medical Record, which includes computerized physician order entry (CPOE), fully electronic nursing and ancillary clinical documentation, and bar code scanning of patient medications.
