-

First Twenty Years of

~ittle Traverse Hospital
Petoskey, Michigan

Little Traverse Hospital

Incorporated Not-For-Profit April 14, 1937

FULL APPROVAL

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals

MEMBERSHIP

American Hospital Association

Michigan Hospital Association
North Central District Hospital Council
LICENSED BY

Michigan State Department of Health

(Maternal and Child Health Section)
PARTICIPATING HOSPITAL

Michigan Hospital Service (Blue Cross)

AFFILIATED

North Central School for Practical Nurse Educatio

Tr,.verse Citv. Michilzan
TRUSTEES

Joseph E. Otis
Honorary Chairman of the Board
John B. Ford
James R. Offield
President
1st Vice President
T. Chalmers Curtis
2nd Vice President
John S. Clark
Dr. Charles J. Gray, D .D.S.
Treasurer
Secretary
C. C. Baldwin, Jr.
John L.A. Galster
Harold R. LeBlond
Prentiss M. Brown
Mrs. Cecil H. Gamble Harry S. Leyman, Jr.
William A. Carson
Charles V. Hickox
Mrs. Samuel McCluney
Kenton R. Cravens
Charles Hollerith
Robert P. Scherer
John R. Davis
Addison E. Holton
Ivan L. Wiles
Bentley Frederick, F.A.C.H.A. Dean C. Burns, M.D.- F.A.C.S.
Administrator
Chief of Staff
Mark Tibbetts
Miss Loretta A. Gibbons, R.N.
Assistant Administrator
Director of Nursing

OFFICERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTE ES

IN MEMORIAM

Charter members of the Board or Trustees, recently deceased, for many

years of devoted service: JAMES T. CLARKE, CECIL H. GAMBLE,
RALPH H. ROGAN, MRS. ROBERT C. WHEELER.

Little Traverse Hospital is the outgrowth of the Petoskey Hospital,

which was started in 1908 in a residence on Arlington Street.
Three years later the facilities were moved to the building now
occupied by the Moyer Hotel.

The original building was constructed to accommodate sixty-three

patients. Little Traverse Hall, the nurses' home, was completed
in October, 1939. In 1942 the south wing of the hospital was constructed, which added forty-three more beds to the hospital.

THE NURSES' HOME

THE MAIN LOBBY

In 1921 the hospital was established in a building of its own on

Lake Street, which has since been razed.
Ever since Little Traverse Hospital was incorporated in 1937, and
opened its doors to patients on April 24, 1939, it has been a fastgrowing institution.

In 1953 the west wing of the hospital was completed. This added
ten more beds, bringing the total capacity, exclusive of bassinets,
up to one hundred and thirty-three beds, which was more than
double the accommodations available when the hospital was
opened eighteen years previously.

ONE OF T HE NURS E'S STATIONS

A TYPICAL PATIENT'S ROOM

Shortly thereafter the demand for hospitalization was so great

that it was necessary to convert the solariums on the first and
second floors into wards, and thus increase the size of the institution another twenty beds.

In 1956, when the new Burns Clinic building was completed and
occupied by doctors, the old Clinic area and the ground floor
generally was completely renovated to provide an adequate
laboratory, emergency room, bookkeeping facilities, and for the
first time in the hospital's history an admitting office.
TKE NURSERY

~- : .

NEW NORTH WING

From time to time, as money would permit, the service facilities

of the institution were expanded in a continual race to keep up
with the ever-increasing number of patients.

~,

Also with the Ford FoundatiOn grant and other gifts. the X-ray
Department was rebuilt entirely, and expanded to include x-ray
therapy service; and the two large solarium \\a rd.,; \\ere converted
into eight semi-private rooms w1th baths.
THE X-R AY DEPA RT MF!'< l

THE LA BORA TOR'

With the proceeds of a grant from the Ford Foundation and contributions from the hospital's friends, the operating room suite
was air conditioned ; the new ~thologist was provided with a
tissue processing laboratory and a fully equipped autopsy room.

TH E MEDICAL STAF F
ACTIVE

Dean C. Burns, M.D. , F.A.C.S., Chief of Staff

Benja min B. Blum , M .D .
Willi amS. Conway, M.D .
Robert F. Cooke, M .D.
Dean C. Elliott, M .D .
Sanders A. Frye, M.D.
A. J. Hegen er, M.D.
Thomas R. Kirk, M.D .
Edw in J . Kroeker, M.D.
Guy K. Lawrie, M.D.
Vern L. Leste r, M.D.
VictorS. Matesko n, M .D .
Robert D. McKnight , M.D.
Joa nn E. Mertz, M.D.
Robert M. Taylor, M .D .
Jea n H . Webster, M .D.
Kathryn D. Weburg, M.D.

Internal Medicine
Ophtholmology
Orthopedics
Otolaryngology
General Practice
Urology
Pediatrics
Internal Medicine
General Surgeon
Radiology
Orthopedics
Internal Medicine
Pediatrics
Internal Medicine
Pathology
Obstetrics

COURTESY

Robert F. Allen, M .0 .
BernhardT. Aim. M.D.
Guy Conkle, M.D.
.J oseph B. Conti, M.D.
Edwa rd F. Crippen , M.D.
Robert E. Dean , D.D.S.
Gerald A . Drake, M.D.
Donald Edward Finch , M.D.
Thom as F . Graha m, D.D.S.
C harl es J . Gray, D .D.S.
F. Howard Hag ue, M .D.
Herbert E. H a mel , M.D.
Hubert H ayes, D .D .S.

MAI N RECE PTION ROO M

OF BURNS CLI N IC

The specialists on the hospital's Medical Staff are all members of

the Burns Clinic. This well-known group of doctor s maintain their
offices in the Burns Clinic Building, which is adj acent to and connected with the m ain hospital building.

Ca lvin J. Kiffer, D.D.S.

Wa lter E. Larson, M .D .
A. F. Litze nburger, M.D.
Gordon M. McKillop , M.D .
Robert Pearson, M.D.
Robert C. Peckh a m, M.D .
.John R. Rodger, M .D.
Gilbert B. Sa ltonstall , M.D .
John H . Savory, D .D.S.
Joseph A. Solomon , M.D .
Ray mond E. Todd , D.D.S.
Gerrian Va nDellen , M.D .

SECOND BURN S CLI N IC

RECEI'TION R OO ~ I

It is unusual for a town the size of Petoskey, with less than 7,000

STATISTICS

In twenty years Little Traverse Hospital has developed into an

institution which requires 235 full-time employees, utilizing a
plant and equipment valued at more than two million dollars. The
original investment was $330,000.
The following figures clearly indicate the steady growth of the
hospital in size, the amount of services rendered, and the cost of
operation:

year around residents, to maintain a hospital which regularly admits almost that many patients. Less than 50 % of our patients
live within a 25-mile radius of Petoskey. _A bout 32 % of them
come from communities up to one hundred miles away; and 18 7f ,
or about eight hundred patients each year, are residents of other
states and Canada.
Construction of the new north wing of the hospital was started in
1957, and completed a year later. This building increased the
capacity of the hospital to one hundred sixty, including a segregated maternity department complete with new delivery and
labor rooms, a formula room and nurseries.

Est.
1941

Beds --------- --- ----- ----------- ----- ---P atients Admitted ................
Patient-days of service ........
Births ............... .... ...................
X-ray Examinations .. ..........
L aboratory Tests ..................
Operations performed ....... ...
P er Diem Cost ....... ....... ........

63
2,271
22,345
157
2,668
18,529
1,062
$5.47

1947
103
3,680
30,364
407
4,504
30,061
1,685
$13.36

1957
133
4,398
38,306
390
10,194
76,969
1,991
$25.71

1959
160
6,350
47,500
450
13,000
92,300
2,400
$28.50

THE KITCHEN

THE BAKERY

1908-1911 on Arlington Street

1921-1939 on Lake Street, built

for the "Petoskey Hospital"

PHYSICAL T HE RAPY

The addition of the north wing also provided a new Physiotherapy

Department, a new and larger laundry and dietary facilities, a
central storeroom and an additional elevator .

An impressive example of the Little Traverse Hospital's growth

is found in the dramatic growth during the past twenty years of
the Burns Clinic, whose members comprise the Active Medical
Staff of the hospital. The original membership of four doctors in
the Clinic has been increased to a total of seventeen specialists;
and the number of doctors on the Courtesy Medical Staff has
grown proportionately to the present membership of twenty-five
doctors and dentists.

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