“During those 120 years, we have been here supporting patients who come to us from the Avenues, from all over Utah, and from across the entire country and beyond.”
(PRUnderground) April 23rd, 2025
The W.H. Groves Latter-day Saints Hospital first saw patients on Thursday, January 5, 1905, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Over time, Intermountain Health LDS Hospital grew into a premier site for surgical and critical care (ICU) innovations, a nursing school, cutting-edge cardiovascular care, advanced NICU care, world-recognized research, and so much more.
While in the care of a doctor, Groves was told the community had a great need for an additional hospital. He changed his personal will to help fund the new hospital and three sites were considered before settling on building the hospital on the hill that has grown into the Greater Avenues Community.
“This January is a very special month for us as we celebrate a tremendous milestone for Intermountain LDS Hospital – 120 years of serving our community,” said Heather Wall, president of Intermountain LDS Hospital. “During those 120 years, we have been here supporting patients who come to us from the Avenues, from all over Utah, and from across the entire country and beyond.”
When the site was selected, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helped with a large portion of the $180,000 it took to build the 80-bed hospital.
When it opened, the newspapers reported that the hospital was the “finest west of the Mississippi.”
That first year, the hospital treated about a thousand patients and delivered 17 babies.
Intermountain LDS Hospital started small and tall, a five-story building with a footprint of only 175 feet by 40 feet, with 80 tiny patient rooms, 30 bathrooms and one of the first automatic elevators in the valley.
It also had a newfangled X-ray machine, invented only 12 years earlier. The original staff consisted of 45 physicians and 48 other employees, including eight nurses, who worked there.
Intermountain LDS Hospital has also been rich with many “firsts”.
These include the first medical computer in the nation, the first bone marrow transplant, nationally renowned critical care practices, the first artificial heart transplant, and more. Intermountain LDS Hospital has also been on the forefront of medical innovation by adopting robotic and AI technologies.
“Intermountain LDS Hospital has been at the forefront of critical care, providing services to our community with unwavering dedication and compassion,” said Harland Hayes, MD, chief medical officer for Intermountain LDS Hospital. “Our care has evolved, embracing advancements in medical technology and practices to ensure the highest standard of care for our patients.”
During the past 120 years, the hospital has gone through many changes from bed count, services, and size and look. In 1975, the hospital transferred ownership from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Intermountain Health and the name was changed to Intermountain LDS Hospital.
However, one thing has remained the same – high quality patient care.
“We have been assured by competent physicians and surgeons who have traveled the world over, that for its size, it is unexcelled anywhere, and it is in all respects a model institution,” according to newspaper reports.
“We’re incredibly proud of the legacy of excellence established by our predecessors and continue to build upon their remarkable work,” Wall said. “Our commitment to delivering exceptional care remains steadfast, and we are honored to serve our community with the same passion and dedication that will define Intermountain LDS Hospital into the next century of care.”
Intermountain LDS Hospital is now a 262-bed facility, located just minutes from downtown Salt Lake City and is integrated with Intermountain’s Life Flight air ambulance and TeleHealth Hospital. The hospital also services southern Davis County and Tooele County out to the Utah / Nevada state line.
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.
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Original Press Release.
