A local play, organized by the Pastors’ Union, was the first fundraising effort to raise money to build a hospital in Lima. This event yielded $372.82.

By the end of the year, the Lima Hospital Society was formed. The society held meetings, adopted bylaws and elected officers to lead the movement to build a community hospital.

On November 27, society trustees purchased the Overmyer property on the corner of East Market and Scott streets for $3,635. Renovations began to turn the two-story brick home into a hospital.

On January 15, the society trustees appointed a Board of Lady Managers, later known as the Auxiliary, to continue fundraising efforts.

On April 1, the Lima City Hospital opened at the corner of East Market and Scott streets near the Ottawa River, the present site of Lima Senior High School. The new facility provided 13 beds: $7 per week for a non-private room and $10 per week for a private room. According to hospital records, 107 patients were admitted during the first year.

On March 8, the building committee began developing plans for a new building. The Board of Lady Managers contributed $700 to start a building fund. In September, a two-story wing was added to the hospital. The addition boasted seven deluxe patient rooms with bathtubs.

The medical teaching staff, comprised of six consulting and eight visiting doctors, was formed.

On January 1, the School of Nursing opened with four students. The first graduation ceremony was April 29, 1904.

In October, 15 members formed the nurses’ alumnae. They strove to model themselves after Florence Nightingale, credited with giving the world the idea of scientific nursing.

The hospital grew to 55 patient beds, and 596 patients were admitted in 1908. Patients were required to pay in advance and the average length of stay was 17 days.

On July 14, Lima’s first soldiers marched off to war. A few months later, four nursing graduates of Lima City Hospital enlisted with the Red Cross to serve in WWI. The number of WWI injured soldiers increased and there was a need for a larger hospital.

The hospital renovated and increased its capacity to care for 90 patients. The space was necessary for the treatment of returning WWI veterans.

On May 15, the Lima City Hospital went to the City Council to petition for submission of a bond proposal to the voters of Lima for the construction of a new hospital. It was proposed that the new hospital be named Lima Memorial as a tribute to soldiers, sailors and marines of all wars.

Lima City Hospital purchased land to build a new hospital in the 1001 block of Bellefontaine Avenue, previous site of the Lima Driving Park and Stables.

In August, more than 5,000 on-lookers watched as the cornerstone of the new facility was laid. The new hospital opened nine months later.

On May 25, Lima City Hospital officially closed to new patients and the new hospital opened on Memorial Day. Named Lima Memorial Hospital in honor of Allen County residents who served in the armed forces, the new facility was five stories tall with the capacity to care for 144 patients.

Improvements to the hospital included a three-story, T-shaped wing added to provide additional space for recovering WWII servicemen. The addition increased the capacity to 250 beds.

Another addition added two complete emergency rooms, a lounge for shock victims, a 30-bed maternity ward with a formula room and an isolation nursery.

The hospital’s School of Nursing expanded, increasing its student capacity to 130.

The north wing was completed. This was the last yellow-brown brick construction at the hospital.

The Women’s Auxiliary was renamed the Lima Memorial Auxiliary. The first male volunteer joined in 1964.

Lima Memorial was one of four hospitals in Ohio to add an intensive care unit (ICU).

After opening in 1902, the Lima Memorial School of Nursing celebrated the graduation of the 1,000th nurse, Cheryl Cotner, RN.

Ground broke for a $7.9 million modernization project.

The helicopter pad was added to send and receive patients in need of critical care.

The first part of a five-phase expansion was completed, adding a new lobby and three floors.

Lima Memorial School of Nursing closed after seven decades and more than 1,165 graduated nurses. Lima Memorial partnered with local colleges to continue to impact healthcare education.

Lima Memorial Hospital launched the first Mobile Meals program in west central Ohio. Hospital volunteers delivered hot, nutritious meals to the homebound. The program ended in 2012, after 41 years of service.

The patient tower expanded to five stories, boasting seven additional coronary beds and six new intensive care beds.

Lima Memorial was the first hospital in west central Ohio to offer CAT scans.

Lima Memorial launched the region’s first sports medicine center.

Lima Memorial continued to grow. In May, three additional floors were added to the patient tower, for a total of eight stories. New services – including outpatient surgery, cardiac cath lab and an arthritis program – were being offered.

Lima Memorial established the region’s first Women’s Health Center, which focused on breast care and mammography. The center was one of the first in the nation to be accredited by the American College of Radiology.

A three-month nurses’ strike impacted health care in the region.

The Lima Memorial Foundation was founded to help support and aid with philanthropic donations.

Labor, birth and bonding – all in one room. Families were encouraged to participate in the birthing process.

On April 22, the region’s first open-heart surgery was performed at Lima Memorial.

Lima Memorial partnered with the Lima Family YMCA to create a comprehensive wellness center.

In 1999, Lima Memorial Hospital celebrated 100 years of providing high-quality and innovative care to the Lima community.

On March 1, Lima Memorial became an affiliate of ProMedica Health System – a locally owned, nonprofit healthcare organization that serves northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Lima Memorial Hospital became Lima Memorial Health System.

On January 2, the new state-of-the-art Medical Park opened on the west side of Lima. The facility housed cancer and women’s health services.

In March, Lima Memorial opened a new Level II Trauma Center. The three-story structure connected to the patient tower and included a Fast Track unit and more than 30 rooms.

The Timmermeister Family Surgery Center was completed and featured an additional 24,000 square feet and six fully equipped surgical suites.

On July 11, the Lima Memorial School of Nursing building was demolished. The building had been used as administrative office space since the School of Nursing closed in 1971.

In November, Lima Memorial opened a new Heart and Vascular Institute dedicated to providing the best heart care in the region. The space above the new Emergency Center was transformed into a CVICU and CCU.

Lima Memorial opened the Putnam County Health and Diagnostic Center in Ottawa.

In May, Lima Memorial Health System welcomed the Heart Institute of Northwest Ohio (HINO) to the family.

In July, Lima Memorial launched the We Honor Veterans program. The program’s mission is to recognize every patient who is a veteran with a certificate of recognition, a symbolic door marker and an American flag to display at his or her bedside.

On November 1, Lima Memorial Health System took the next step in sharing the LMHS story and brand with the community. Lima Memorial went green from the inside out with exterior signs, parking lot banners and more than 1,500 feet of green LED lights.

On November 8, the Emergency Physicians of Northwest Ohio (EPNO) – board-certified emergency physicians, pediatric emergency physicians and advanced practice providers – joined Lima Memorial Emergency Center.

Lima Memorial launched its state-of-the-art robotics program with the debut of the first Vinci^® Surgical Robot, a $1.9 million investment. The robotic program at Lima Memorial is among the best in the nation and has been exclusively selected as a designated site for the da Vinci^® Robotic Mentor Program. Surgeons from across the country now come to Lima Memorial to learn from the best. 

A Second da Vinci^® Surgical Robot added in the Timmermeister Family Surgery Center in 2015 as a part of a multi-phase surgical expansion project. The initial phases made way for the addition of two new surgical suites and two dedicated robotic rooms.

Lima Memorial brought 3D mammographic imaging, the latest enhancement in mammographic technology, to the Women’s Health Center at the Lima Memorial Medical Park. 3D mammography, or Tomosyntheses, is a new screening and diagnostic test for breast cancer, offering women and their physicians a more accurate way to detect the presence of breast abnormalities.

Lima Memorial Health System announced plans for a $30 million expansion and investment in a new Outpatient Diagnostic and Imaging Center, Welcome Center, Inpatient Rehabilitation Center and the LMHS Wapakoneta Medical Center.

A multidisciplinary team of frontline caregivers, including physicians, nurses, laboratory and radiology technologists, respiratory therapists and environmental services team members, received the first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on December 23, 2020.

The LMHS Wapakoneta Medical Center began seeing patients in its new 16,000 square foot patient care facility in November 2020. The medical center was designed to move patients through safely and efficiently and support the growing need for family medicine care.

In November 2020, Lima Memorial welcomed its first of many patients into the new Inpatient Rehabilitation Center, which offers acute rehabilitation for individuals who need intense therapy following a hospital admission to prepare patients for a safe return to home.

A “topping out” ceremony was held in July to celebrate placing one of the last steel beams in the structure of the Welcome Center. Lima Memorial associates were invited to sign the steel beam, making them forever part of this significant moment in advancing Great Care.

Construction is expected to be complete this winter. During construction, patients and visitors are being directed to enter the health system through the Patient Services Building facing Dewey Avenue.

In the summer of 2021, local Boy Scout (now Eagle Scout), Noah Brennan, brought the Lima Memorial Serenity Garden to life for his Eagle Scout service project. Noah designed the project, worked to raise funds needed and completed the work with the help of fellow scouts and scout leaders to create a wonderful, health-centered space for Lima Memorial patients, visitors and associates.

Lima Memorial Health System officially welcomed patients and visitors through its new Welcome Center in August, marking the completion of its $30 million expansion. The 7,000-square-foot Welcome Center was built for convenient access of the Outpatient Diagnostic & Imaging Center, as well as the Emergency Center. Additionally, it provided an enhanced patient and visitor experience with a multi-lane drive and large, protective canopy, a Biggby Coffee and an expanded and modernized gift shop.

Lima Memorial introduced the INVENIA^TM ABUS (Automated Breast Ultrasound) 2.0 to its Women’s Health Center services. This cutting-edge technology was added to enhance the consistency, reproducibility and sensitivity of breast ultrasound, improving the detection of cancers in dense breast tissue that may not be found with mammography alone.

Lima Memorial Health System launched its Direct Access Testing (DAT) service, giving patients and community members the ability to choose from a wide array of general health screenings without requiring a physician’s order.

Lima Memorial celebrated the commencement of its 125th anniversary celebrations on April 1, 2024, marking a significant milestone in Lima Memorial’s rich history of caring for our community. Since opening in 1899, Lima Memorial’s vision for health care has remained the same—providing our community with high-quality care in a family atmosphere.