September 30, 2021 - Mariposa, CA – John C. Fremont Hospital turned 70 years old on September 30 but due to COVID-19, celebrations are on hold.
John C. Fremont Hospital has been serving the Mariposa community (Mariposa County, parts of Madera County [Ahwahnee, Nipinnawasee, & Oakhurst], Yosemite National Park, Fish Camp, Coulterville, Greeley Hill, and Lake Don Pedro) with healthcare services since 1951.
An article in the Mariposa Gazette from September 1951 noted “the hospital was one of the newest in California, one that residents of this community have long awaited.
“I am proud to be celebrating 70 years of serving the Mariposa community,” said Matthew Matthiessen CEO at John C. Fremont Healthcare District. “I am committed to this community, and I would like to celebrate the employees past and present.”
Several staff members have been working at John C. Fremont Healthcare District for 10, 20, and 30 plus years.
Kym Brownell, Executive Assistant to CEO, said “My family and I moved to Mariposa 25 years ago from the Los Angeles area. After 2 years of being a stay-at-home-Mom, I joined John C. Fremont Healthcare District and have been serving the District for the past 23+ years. My plan is to continue to serve for another 20 years. I can’t wait to see the new parts of the hospital that will be built!”.
John C. Fremont Hospital is the nearest hospital with emergency services for Mariposa County residents. The hospital is a 34-bed facility (18 acute beds and 16 long-term care beds) with a 24-hour emergency department and clinical laboratory. It has grown since 1951, adding three clinics, 1. Fremont Family Physician clinic. 2. Fremont Specialty Physician clinic 3. Northside clinic.
Therese Williams, Director of Public Relations and Community Outreach said, “We would like all our hospital employees, county leaders, businesses, and the community to gather for a special 70th birthday party including a birthday cake on the hospital grounds during the hospital’s 70th year”.
It offers a variety of health services to care for the Mariposa community: Acute patient care, bone density, cardiopulmonary, CT scan, education, Ewing Wing our five-star award winning skilled nursing facility, home health & hospice, imaging (bone density, digital mammography, ultrasound, CT), laboratory, MRI, respiratory therapy, Ryan White AIDS/HIV program, social services, surgery (outpatient) and ultrasound.
Our specialty services include: Cardiology, dermatology, dietitian, endocrinology, gastroenterology, immune deficiency diseases, marriage and family therapy counseling, nephrology, neurology, nutrition, oncology/hematology, physical therapy, podiatry, psychiatry, rheumatology.
Mariposa Resident, Oralee Phillips, mother, Betty Hull, worked at the hospital when it opened 70 years ago and delivered babies for twenty-five years.
“There are many staff members who were born at the hospital”, said Matthiessen.
Our emergency department treated over 7,100 patients last year, providing immediate treatment for heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, rattlesnake bites, chest pain, allergic reactions, and asthma.
Minutes matter in an emergency. Our air ambulance helicopter service is available to rapidly transport patients who need critical specialized care from our healthcare facility helipad or from the scene of an accident. With this service we have reduced emergency response times by 25 minutes. The air ambulance helicopter service transported 337 patients last year.
Tom Phillips, a resident of Mariposa is working on the early history of the hospital.
“Tom is reviewing minutes and newspaper articles from the early days and will develop a book. We plan to have a presentation of the book next year.”
On our website www.jcf-hospital.com explore our medical services, learn about our physicians, sign-up for our monthly newsletter, stay up to date with our events such as our monthly breast cancer support group, and much more.
We are here to care for our community, and we welcome your suggestions and comments.
For more information, contact Therese Williams, therese.williams@jcf-hospital.com.
Source: JCF
