Before Interstate 80 was built, before the Winter Olympics came, and more than four decades before the town of Truckee incorporated, there was Tahoe Forest Hospital. In 1945, the Rotary Club of Truckee saw a need for a first aid station or hospital in Truckee. A committee representing the town’s service groups reached out to local landowner Dick Joseph, the Joseph family. They experienced a tragedy: his wife passed away on their way to giving birth in Reno, and he felt that if there was a hospital in Truckee, that never would have happened. Joseph agreed to donate a large parcel of property to the newly formed Tahoe Forest Hospital District. Then, on April 14th, 1952, Tahoe Forest Hospital opened to patients. It had two doctors and 15 beds. It started because we needed hospital care for people. As we continue to grow, we add more specialties, and our access to care for just about anything you might need is right here in our hometown. From 1965 to 1980, the hospital went through a period of expansion, adding two wings, an annex, and doubling its overall size. Critical services like x-ray, lab, surgery, physical therapy, IC, trauma, and birthing were added. The ’90s brought mammography and the acquisition of Incline Village Community Hospital. A lot of the expanded facilities just allowed us more and more to provide for our own. Through all of the rebuilds, updating of the ER, and the ICU to take care of more complicated cases was huge.
In 2007, the local community overwhelmingly approved a bond measure, which allowed significant renovations across multiple departments and new construction of the Gan Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center. We realized that for people to trust us, we need to make sure what we did, we did very well. Otherwise, we’re not going to do it. But it doesn’t mean we can’t have the best technology, and to this day, I’m going to tell you this hospital is competitive and aligned with large universities and medical centers regarding the [Music] technology. I have a great comfort in knowing that if something happens, and things at this age do happen, we are very happy to have the hospital here.
Quality of care doesn’t just come from expanded facilities and new technology. It’s the people of Tahoe Forest who have really made the difference these past 75 years. Over the last several years, there has been a high value placed on recruiting high-quality primary care, updating our offices, and making space for us to grow and thrive. This is a journey that we are all on, and we’re all in it together, making a difference not only for our health system but the community in which we serve. That’s a really exciting adventure to be on for all of us. From the first donation of land through decades of growth and expansion, the Tahoe Forest Health System that we have today has thrived in large part thanks to the ongoing support of the community. Philanthropy is how it all got started, and philanthropy continues to be critical to future success. Participating in philanthropic boards and endeavors really is a wonderful way to start connecting with people in the community. When people give a gift to support the hospital, 100% of that gift goes directly to the programs and services. All of those funds are being directed to improve access to care for our local patients. One of the reasons that we’ve thrived for 75 years and will continue to thrive for the next 75 years is because we have such a strong community base and support. Of course, those charitable donations make an incredible difference.
