Burlington's Lahey Hospital Celebrates 100th Anniversary

BURLINGTON, MA — Lahey Hospital & Medical Center celebrated its 100th anniversary on Monday.

Employees in Burlington marked the occasion with an informal celebration that included century celebration treats. Lahey Hospital & Medical Center also released a 100th anniversary video.

According to the hospital's website, Lahey was founded in Boston in 1923 by Dr. Frank Lahey, a young surgeon who had served in WWI.

The goal of the clinic, which was revolutionary at the time, was to create a clinic where doctors with different specialties operated under one roof. Lahey Clinic initially featured an anesthesiologist, operating nurse, surgical assistant and gastroenterologist.

Dr. Robert Wise, who spent 16 years as Lahey's chief executive, was instrumental in moving Lahey Clinic from Boston's Kenmore Square to Burlington in 1980.

According to the Boston Globe, some suburban towns did not want Lahey Clinic, fearing a new competitor nearby.

In Burlington, the clinic initially was renamed Lahey Clinic Medical Center. It became Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in 2012.

In 1994, Lahey Medical Center was established in Peabody.

In 2019, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center became part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a new health system.

Today, Lahey's Burlington location serves more than 3,000 patients per day through its 334 inpatient hospital beds, an ambulatory care center, 24-hour emergency department and American College of Surgeons verified Level I Trauma Center.

The Peabody location, meanwhile, includes a 24-hour emergency department and a 10-bed hospital, and it serves more than 800 outpatients per day.

Lahey continues to expand. Just last month, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center and Worcester-based UMass Chan Medical School received approval for a new regional medical school campus in Burlington, which is expected to begin accepting students in August of 2024.