Founded in 1920 by local residents responding to a flu epidemic, Southwest General has always been a hospital committed to supporting the community. We maintain strong ties to the Greater Cleveland area through our quality medical services, our partnerships with University Hospitals and local community organizations and our many community benefit programs promoting health and wellness.
Southwest General is home to nationally recognized physicians, state-of-the-art technology and a full range of medical, surgical and emergency services, including a Level III trauma center. Our services are designed to provide patients with care that addresses their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs.
Our Mission and Vision
At Southwest General, we have a long history of commitment to the health and wellbeing of our communities. Our mission statement reminds us of this commitment, first made by our founders when they opened the hospital so many decades ago.
Our entire team holds these words close to the heart while treating patients and assisting families.
Going hand in hand with our mission, the Southwest General vision guides us in our commitment to excellence and community health:
The Vision of Southwest General is to be the leading health care system based in and serving the communities southwest of Cleveland.
History Of Southwest General Health Center
A Strong History of Community Support
Nothing characterizes Southwest Generals community support more dramatically than its founding as The Community Hospital in 1920. Its creation followed a post-World War I flu epidemic during which many area residents died while being transported to the nearest Cleveland hospital. Convinced of the need for a local hospital, citizens of the southwest Cleveland area rallied to raise $100,000 in 10 days to build a 32-bed hospital in Berea.
The new community hospital opened on the corner of Bagley and Front streets in 1925. It had 32 beds and eight bassinets and sufficed until 1945 when the first addition was made to increase the capacity to 107 beds and 34 bassinets. Seven more additions and two name changes later, the hospital had grown to 166 beds. With no land remaining for expansion and a rapidly growing community to serve, a 22-acre site was purchased in neighboring Middleburg Heights upon which to construct a new 235-bed replacement hospital.
The new Southwest General Hospital was opened in 1975. It was constructed in part using funds from a self-imposed tax levy, supported by six communities in Southwest Generals service area. The new facility, the health centers current location, was eventually expanded to 325 beds through an addition in 1983, 336 beds in 1994, 340 beds in 2000, 354 beds in 2006 and today stands at 368 beds.
In 1994, Southwest General Hospital changed its name to Southwest General Health Center to reflect its growing role in promoting wellness in the communities it serves.
