Our History: Comfort & Compassion. Health & Wellness. For More Than 75 Years

Anna T. Jeanes

Jeanes Hospital is an acute care community hospital located in the Fox Chase section of Northeast Philadelphia. In 1996, Jeanes Hospital became part of the Temple University Health System.

The hospital was founded in 1928 through a provision in the will of Anna T. Jeanes, a Philadelphia Quaker who created an endowment for the establishment of a hospital for "Cancerous, Nervous, and Disabling Ailments." Anna T. Jeanes, who was born in 1822 and died in 1907, was a forward-thinking activist and philanthropist who maintained a home on the grounds that are now the Jeanes Hospital campus. She envisioned a facility that would be controlled by a joint committee of Quarterly Meeting Homes and would operate under the Quaker philosophy of compassionate care that treats the whole person. Since its founding, Jeanes Hospital has continually worked to build upon her vision.

From the day it opened on January 25, 1928, Jeanes Hospital operated under the stipulations of Anna T. Jeanes' will. In fact, years earlier, the hospital endowment gained additional funds when an endowment intended for Swarthmore College reverted back to Jeanes because the college would not meet the conditions that it give up intercollegiate sports and games.

In the mid 1940s several conditions combined to compel the hospital's Board of Directors to reconsider the role of Jeanes Hospital. The cost of providing specialized health care, even for those who could pay, was becoming prohibitive. At the same time, the community around the hospital was growing and Jeanes had become virtually the sole health care provider in the area. It was apparent that the community needed a comprehensive general hospital.

In 1946, Jeanes began to operate as a general medical surgical hospital and increased its number of beds from 46 to 100. Since then, Jeanes has continued to expand its services and currently is licensed for 197 beds.

Though it had changed its focus, Jeanes Hospital was still committed to fighting cancer and related diseases. So, in 1947, it offered part of its grounds to the Institute for Cancer Research, which later became Fox Chase Cancer Center. In 1963, the American Oncologic Hospital was invited to the Jeanes campus and in 1967, a specialty hospital for cancer patients, connected to Jeanes Hospital through an enclosed bridge, was built.

Since then, Jeanes has continued to grow. The Surgery-Rehab Building opened in 1987 to provide larger facilities for both general surgery and rehabilitation therapy. The Patient Care Center, opened in May 1992, was designed to provide modern facilities for patient care in a warm, home-like setting that is more conducive to recovery than traditional health care institutions. Several of the hospital's administrative departments moved into the newly renovated Founder's Building in 1993 from off-campus locations.

On June 30, 1996, Jeanes Hospital became a member of the Temple University Health System (TUHS). The affiliation strengthens the hospital's ability to serve the community and allows it to maintain its Quaker heritage.

In addition to medical care, Jeanes Hospital serves the community in a number of ways, including free screenings, free immunizations, educational programs, support groups, and more.