Southern Utah community leaders, along with former and current Intermountain Health presidents, recently unveiled new permanent displays at Intermountain Health St. George Regional Hospital that bring the region’s medical history to life.
The exhibits showcase historic medical instruments, physician keepsakes, and preserved artifacts from those who helped shape healthcare in Washington County.
The new displays are located on the hospital’s main floor and include historical artifacts that trace the evolution of care in the region over the past 100 years.
Natalie Ashby, current president at St. George Regional Hospital helped unveil the displays with three previous presidents: Mitch Cloward, Terri Kane, and Steve Wilson. She said this was an honor to have them together as their vision helped bring the hospital to where it is today.
“I stand on the shoulders of giants. I am so thankful for what they did,” Ashby said. “We’ve all been blessed, and I know each of them in their tenure had unique challenges. Since I have sat in this chair, each one of them has given me advice, counsel, and shared stories. I can never repay that.”
The displays include a vintage wheelchair, a preserved nursing uniform, surgical tools, and notes featuring quotes and historical lessons.
Returning the historical items back to the hospital required time, persistence, and community effort. Some were even discovered by sure luck when community members found them collecting dust in a home garage. They reached out Terri Draper, a longtime caregiver from St. George Regional Hospital. Draper decided to make it a mission to start collecting more memorabilia and historical items.
Draper, who retired from Intermountain Health this past January, was able to work with team members to get them permanently preserved and now on display for the public.
The origins of healthcare and St. George Regional Hospital date back to 1913, when Washington County Hospital first opened their doors to the community. Several iterations of the hospital would come as the surrounding area grew. In 1975, the hospital was part of 15 hospitals system operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church donated all the hospitals in Utah, and turned operations over to the new Intermountain Healthcare system.
“As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to fully appreciate how difficult it was for those first pioneer families to make a settlement in this desert community. That would have been 1860, back before air conditioning and ice cubes,” said Steve Wilson, former president at St. George Regional Hospital. “I appreciate progress. It doesn’t happen easily; it doesn’t happen simply.”
Now, St. George Regional Hospital has a wide, extensive campus located on River Road. Plaques honoring each version of the hospital were created several years ago along the first-floor hallway. The new historical artifact displays are now in place in the same area – creating a gallery dedicated to honor important history.
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a nonprofit health plan called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/. For more information, see intermountainhealth.org/ or call 801-442-2000.
