Inova Celebrates 150 Years of Caring at Inova Alexandria Hospital
Inova Alexandria Hospital (IAH) marked its 150th anniversary with a celebration event held on the hospital’s campus. Inova leaders, hospital team members, community partners and elected officials were on hand to commemorate this incredible milestone in Inova’s history.
“Our hospital has been a cornerstone of the community for 150 years,” said Rina Bansal, MD, MBA, President of Inova Alexandria Hospital. “It was important to us to take a moment and recognize the efforts our leaders, supporters, volunteers, team members and providers have made to bring world-class healthcare to the communities we are privileged to serve.”
IAH began with the grassroots effort of Alexandria resident Julia Johns, who saw a need for a community hospital when the city’s residents feared a typhoid epidemic was upon them. Johns gathered her neighbors, and together they opened the Alexandria Infirmary in 1872.
Today, IAH is Virginia’s oldest continuously operating community hospital. Throughout the years, the hospital has led the way in care delivery innovation, with an impressive array of healthcare “firsts” including the first nursing school in Virginia, the first hospital in Northern Virginia to offer full-body CAT scan, and the first hospital in the nation to staff an emergency department around the clock in 1961 – known nationally as the Alexandria Plan.
“Inova has continued to expand the depth and range of services available in Alexandria, providing top-quality healthcare to the city, all while ensuring Alexandrians and all residents of Northern Virginia have access to the resources and expertise of the Inova system,” concluded J. Stephen Jones, MD, FACS, President and Chief Executive Officer of Inova. “We are committed to carrying the innovative and compassionate spirit of Julia Johns forward as we meet the changing and evolving health needs of our communities for generations to come.”
In 2020, Inova announced plans to move IAH to a new campus at the former Landmark Mall location. When complete, Alexandria residents can look forward to:
- A larger and more advanced emergency care center
- Private rooms for all patients
- State-of-the art maternity care
- Full cancer services, including radiation and infusion, at the Inova Schar Cancer Institute at Inova Alexandria
- A specialty medical office building, enabling doctors who are providing care in the hospital to also see their patients for office visits on the hospital’s campus
Alerts Sign-up