Adventist Health Glendale Celebrates 115 Years of Caring for the Community

When the Glendale Sanitarium opened Aug. 24, 1905, founder Ellen G. White envisioned a healing space in which to care for the mind, body and spirit of the sick. This week, what is now known as Adventist Health Glendale celebrated its 115-year history of healing with events for staff and the community.

“These are challenging times in which to celebrate, but this institution has seen challenging times before — from Spanish Flu to the coronavirus — and the one constant has been the people, our associates who are passionate about caring for others,” said Alice Issai, president of Adventist Health Glendale. “This week, we honored our history in ways that reflect the current times: through virtual activities, socially distanced events and engagement with social media.”
The week featured a pop-up history event during which local parents with schoolchildren were invited to drive through a timeline of the hospital’s history and a fresh produce distribution, delivering three tons of fruits and vegetables to the community in partnership with the American Heart Association. Associates and physicians were treated to lunch donated by Glendale Career College and a small anniversary gift.
Events culminated Friday with a multi-denominational Blessing of the Hospital and Staff by Elder Velino A. Salazar, president of Southern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists; his Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Western Diocese of the Armenian Church; and the Rev. Father Movses Shannakian, Western Prelacy of the Armenian Church.
Residents can view a pictorial tour of the hospital’s evolution at its virtual museum: adventisthealth.org/115Years.