The history of Children’s Minnesota is much more than buildings, names and dates. Who were the people behind the facts? What were their struggles and triumphs?
In honor of our 100th anniversary, every month in 2024 we’re sharing stories from the Children’s Minnesota archives. Each month will feature a different decade.
Here, we continue with the 1980s, a decade marked by significant growth, advancements in medical care and important milestones. It was also the last decade in which our two hospitals – Children’s Hospital of St. Paul and Minneapolis Children’s Health Center – would be separate entities.
Jump back in time and read about Children’s Minnesota in the 1970s, 1960s, 1950s, 1940s, 1930s and the 1920s.
The 1980s
Minneapolis Children’s Health Center: the “V” years
The 1980s began on a high (and hot) note for our Minneapolis hospital, Minneapolis Children’s Health Center (MCHC). For the first time since it opened in 1973, the hospital was debt free. According to a hospital history, the milestone was celebrated during a board meeting in the fall of 1980 with the burning of the mortgage to 2525 Chicago Avenue South, an event that was met with much enthusiasm and applause.
The 1980s were also described as the “V” years for the Minneapolis Children’s Health Center, characterized by “volatile growth, and more visionary and vital health care programs.” By 1982, the hospital was facing heavy demand for its services and began planning a $14 million remodel and expansion project. The project included adding 10 constant care beds next to the neonatal intensive care unit, more laboratory, radiology and pharmacy space, and an expanded emergency room and short stay unit.
In 1988, the Teen Age Medical Service (TAMS), the outpatient adolescent department of the hospital, marked its 20th anniversary. TAMS was the first patient care program at MCHC. Founding board member Mary Lebedoff said TAMS was established in 1968 because “we wanted to begin serving the community even before the hospital opened” in 1973. Adolescent health was identified as an area of critical need.
TAMS offered a full range of low-cost outpatient services for teens including physicals, gynecological care, treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and services for mental health, eating disorders and weight loss.
In 1983, our Minneapolis hospital changed its name to Minneapolis Children’s Medical Center (MCMC), reflecting its “growing cosmopolitan identity” according to a written history of the hospital. The mid-1980s also brought financial challenges as hospital costs soared, and MCMC faced a tough period due to Medicaid reimbursement issues. MCMC joined with Children’s Hospital of St. Paul and Gillette Children’s Hospital to lobby the state legislature for relief. Eventually MCMC was back in the black.
In 1989, MCMC set a record of more than 38,000 in-patient days, with an average daily census of 103, one of the highest in the metro. The increased patient demand led to the launch of a $33.2 million building expansion and renovation project to provide more privacy and better facilities for patients and their families.
Children’s Hospital of St. Paul: a close-knit culture
Children’s Hospital of St. Paul also experienced significant growth and development during the 1980s. The decade began with the 1983 celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Children’s Hospital Association, which was formed during the Great Depression to help defray medical costs for patient families.
The hospital’s culture in the 1980s was described as warm and family-oriented, with a sense of camaraderie among the staff.
Former Chief Medical Officer Phil Kibort recalls: “The staff culture of St. Paul…was like going to camp. It was such a warm feeling. It was small. It was only 100 beds. Everybody knew each other. The dietitians would make you lunch. It felt like family.”
In 1984, Children’s Hospital of St. Paul opened a new pediatric intensive care unit, providing a highly sophisticated and expanded area for critically ill children. The mid-1980s also saw the opening of the Midwest Children’s Resource Center in 1986 and the addition of a new helicopter pad.
During the 1980s, the hospital expanded its services to families from Southeast Asia who were emigrating to St. Paul. It hired a parent representative for Hmong and Lao families and held education sessions with hospital staff.
The late 1980s were marked by the beginning of a national measles outbreak. In Minnesota, there were 440 cases, and three children died. Patsy Stinchfield, RN, MS, CPNP-PC, had recently started working at the St. Paul hospital and calls the outbreak one of the biggest challenges of her 34-year career at Children’s Minnesota.
“I got together with some interpreters, a public health nurse and a family practice doctor and we went door to door in the community to get a sense of the knowledge, beliefs and barriers related to vaccines,” Patsy recalls. “That was the beginning of the Children’s Immunization Project, which eventually gained millions of grant dollars and years of award-winning success in improving patient and staff immunization rates.”
At the close of the 1980s, Children’s Hospital of St. Paul served the largest number of children in its history with 27,000 in-patient days and an average daily census of 73.
Photos from the Children’s Minnesota archives, circa 1980s (click to enlarge)
Stay tuned to our From the Archives blogs! Next month will feature Children’s Minnesota in the 1990s.
Celebrating a century of care: Children’s Minnesota turns 100
Children’s Minnesota has been here for 100 years. And it’s all because of you: the people who bring their kids here, the ones who work here, the partners who refer their young patients for specialty treatment, the donors who support us, and the community who rallies around the families in our hospitals. Join us in celebrating a century of care — and a bright, healthy future for Minnesota kids.
