One man's foresight helped create Doernbecher Children's Hospital. Your foresight can enhance Doernbecher's future.
The Frank Doernbecher Guild honors individuals who have established gift plans benefiting Doernbecher Children’s Hospital at Oregon Health & Science University.
The guild is named in honor of Frank S. Doernbecher, who in 1921 left $200,000 through his will (administered by his daughter Ada and son Edward) to benefit the people of Oregon. The Doernbechers were convinced of the need for a special hospital to serve needy children under the care and supervision of the University of Oregon Medical School.
On October 14, 1923, plans for the new hospital were announced, along with its purpose: to advance the care and prevention of childhood diseases through research and training of future health care providers. The Doernbecher family specified that patients would be received in this hospital regardless of their ability to pay.
Additional funds were needed to build the new hospital, and in July 1924 the Doernbecher Guild was created to raise and distribute funds in support of the project. Thanks to these efforts, a six-story hospital opened on Marquam Hill on July 30, 1926. Doernbecher Memorial Hospital for Children was born.
Today Doernbecher is the Northwest’s premier pediatric hospital, providing exceptional family-centered care to the children of the region and beyond.
