ST. GEORGE, Utah — St. George Regional Hospital has unveiled a collection of historical medical artifacts in its lobby, including items dating back to the first doctors to practice in St. George in the 1860s.
According to Intermountain Health Regional Communications Director Terri Draper, the display came together largely by accident after workers discovered a tub of historical items in a garage, and community members began contributing pieces of their own.
"They found this whole tub of things in a garage," said Terri Draper, Intermountain Health Regional Communications Director.
"Individuals have brought items in and said, 'Would you like to have this?'" Draper said.
Draper spearheaded the effort to organize and display the collection. The experience became personal when, while going through one of the donated items, she was brought to tears after realizing it was connected to a great aunt and uncle she had not known about.
The display traces the history of the hospital through each of its incarnations — from McGregor Hospital in the 1910s, to Dixie Pioneer Memorial Hospital in the 1950s and '60s, to Dixie Regional Medical Center, to the current St. George Regional Hospital.
Among the artifacts on display is a medical bag made of walrus hide belonging to Dr. J.T. Afleck, who performed the first surgery in St. George in the 1880s. The collection also includes a Civil War-era wheelchair, a nurse's uniform from the 1930s, and an item linked to St. George's first pharmacist, Dr. Israel Ivins — whose family the nearby city of Ivins is named after.
The hospital's lobby was filled with staff, local council members, and county commissioners when the items were revealed to the public on Thursday. The event also included a reunion of the last 4 presidents of the hospital, among them Steve Caplin.
"I'm one of the last people in St. George that actually walked the halls of the McGregor Hospital and the Pioneer Memorial Hospital before they were torn down," Caplin said.
Caplin reflected on just how much conditions have changed since the hospital's early days.
"It was BAC. Before air conditioning and ice cubes... no air conditioning, no ice cubes. How in the world would you ever make it through July in St. George?" Caplin said.
Caplin also recalled an early milestone in the hospital's growth.
"I remember when we first developed the idea for a cancer center. Barbara Watson and I shared that vision with our then-Senator Orrin Hatch. He wrote a check on the spot," Caplin said.
Draper said the hospital originally served a population of around 700 and had just 2 doctors on staff until the 1970s. Today, the hospital serves a population of nearly 200,000 with a medical staff of more than 600.
