Inova Alexandria Hospitals history of providing health care for Northern Virginia began more than a century ago.
In 1872, Julia Johns and other community members formed the Alexandria Infirmary Association, which later became Alexandria Hospital the first full-service hospital in Northern Virginia. The first surgery at the hospital was performed in 1882. In 1894, the Nurses Training School was established. By 1900, a dispensary was opened, marking the beginning of outpatient care.
Sixty years later in 1961, Alexandria Hospital set the standard in emergency medicine by becoming the first to staff its emergency department with full-time physicians 24 hours a day. Known as the "Alexandria Plan," this innovative approach to emergency care has been adopted by hospitals across the country.
In 1962, the hospital moved to its current location on Seminary Road. It occupied five sites previous to this move and each move and expansion was supported by generous donations of land and funds from private individuals in the community. In March 1997, Alexandria Hospital merged with Inova Health System.
The Strength of Inova Alexandria Hospital and Inova Health System
In 1997, Alexandria Hospital joined Inova Health System, Northern Virginia's leading not-for-profit health care provider. Inova's family of hospitals includes Inova Alexandria Hospital, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Inova Loudoun Hospital, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital and Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children.