In 1955, the NYC Department of Hospitals opened a new, specialized care facility and teaching hospital situated on a lovely, campus-like setting in the northeast Bronx. Called the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center, it included an 898-bed facility for acute care (Jacobi Hospital) and an adjacent 500-bed hospital for chronic tuberculosis care (Van Etten Hospital). From early on, accomplishments and innovations were many:
Burn Accomplishments
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi developed an innovative method of hyperalimentation for burn patients. This method was subsequently adopted by burn centers worldwide.
- Jacobi physicians were the first to use CO2 lasers for burn treatment.
- Jacobi was one of the first burn centers to use advanced burn care products like artificial skin.
Surgical Innovations
- Jacobi surgeons performed the world’s first successful clinical coronary artery bypass.
- Jacobi surgeons were the first in the U.S. to use mechanical staples.
- Jacobi established the first National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Research Center in the country for clinical injury.
- Jacobi obstetricians used a new germ-free isolator to deliver the world’s first germ-free baby.
- Jacobi anesthesiologists developed the Gertie Marx Spinal Needle, still used today for epidural block.
Medical Development
- Jacobi founded the first Emergency Medical residency program in New York City. It remains one of the most prestigious training programs in the country.
- Founded New York City’s first hospital-based paramedic training program.
To this day, Jacobi enjoys a national reputation as a respected leader in emergency medicine, trauma surgery, burn care, and neonatal care.