SHELBY – OhioHealth Shelby Hospital celebrated its centennial on April 20, 2021. To commemorate this 100th anniversary, OhioHealth announced a $100,000 commitment to Shelby’s Downtown Revitalization Project, led by the Community Improvement Corporation of Shelby.
“Over the past 100 years, Shelby Hospital has been committed to the health and wellness of Shelby and its surrounding communities. This moment in time seems especially monumental as we continue to manage through a pandemic,” said Vinson Yates, president of OhioHealth Shelby Hospital and OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital. “As trying as the past year has been for our staff and for our community, today we are excited to look forward to Shelby’s future.
“We hope this economic investment brings continued hope for the next 100 years.”
Shelby Memorial Hospital, located on the same property as it sits today, received its first four patients on April 20, 1921. Shelby Hospital Association was first charted as a corporation in 1919. The association, which included names such as H.D. Seltzer and R.C. Skiles, purchased E.S. Close’s former residence, a large frame farmhouse that was enlarged and remodeled to serve as Shelby’s first hospital. The building as we know it today was built in 1960.
Today, OhioHealth is the largest employer in Richland County and one of the prominent employers in the City of Shelby.
“Shelby Hospital has been a pillar in the community for 100 years,” said Jake Penwell, president of the Community Improvement Corporation of Shelby. “We are appreciative to OhioHealth as the primary sponsor of CIC’s flagship event, Shelby Bicycle Days, for the last five years.
“We’re happy for OhioHealth’s additional partnership as we forge a path to move Shelby forward.”
Centennial celebration
During its centennial year, Shelby Hospital will provide onesies to newborns born at the hospital. The “Made in Shelby” onesies commemorate Shelby Hospital’s commitment to the newborn and his or her family’s health for the next 100 years.
On the anniversary date, the hospital provided associates and providers with cupcakes made by a local bakery. Pastoral Care blessed the hands of the teams throughout the hospital.
Shelby Hospital also worked closely with Auburn Elementary School, Dowds Elementary School, St. Mary School and Sacred Heart School for a coloring contest with first and second graders to students to draw or write about what doctors and nurses will be able to do in 100 years.
A winner will be selected from each school to win a fun prize package. All of the artwork will be added to a time capsule for safe keeping until 2121.
