Beth Israel Hospital
Patient Care, Teaching and Research
While sharing the Deaconess’s commitment to excellent patient care, Beth Israel was also moving forward in another direction – teaching and research. In 1928, the same year it entered into its relationship with Harvard Medical School, it also established a formal teaching affiliation with Tufts. That year, the Medical Research Department was created, which pioneered important treatments for chronic heart disease.
Patient care expanded at Beth Israel in the years following its move to the Longwood area on Brookline Avenue. Outpatient services also grew. When the hospital moved to its new quarters in 1928, there were 11 outpatient clinics. By 1935, there were 28.
During the depression, Beth Israel was able to maintain its commitment to serving the community. In 1935, it spent over $1.5 million in free patient care. The following year, it was one of only two hospitals in Boston (the other was Boston City Hospital) to accept patients on welfare. Many staff members went without pay; milk companies donated milk and pharmacists donated badly needed drugs.
