A Legacy of Service
Prologue
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Dr. G. Clare Bishop |
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Bishop Hospital |
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Mrs. Bishop |
In the early 1930's, Dr. G. Clare Bishop returned from studies in Vienna and began his Almont practice in an upstairs office downtown. The need for a hospital in town was apparent: broken bones, coma, surgery, births, appendicitis - all things not easily handled in his office, and a long, slow, sometimes painful ride to have treated. Dr. & Mrs. Bishop planned to use a room in their home at 409 E. St. Clair as a hospital. The first patients were two victims of a car accident in early July, 1934.
As the need for beds increased, additional rooms were converted for hospital use. When the family moved, the home on St. Clair became the Bishop Hospital, with a 17 bed capacity. The area kept growing, and by the early 1950's, crowded conditions at the hospital were common. Dr. Bishop and local businessman James D. Ligon realized something should be done. They worked together to organize the effort to build a local hospital.
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