This year, The Valley Hospital will celebrate 75 years since its opening day, on August 8, 1951. To memorialize Valley’s history over the past seven decades, we are reflecting on the organization’s major milestones.
In this blog, we’ll highlight Valley’s continued growth and milestones in the 1970s.
Be sure to check back each month as we continue to share the history of The Valley Hospital! To learn more about Valley’s growth in prior decades, browse our blog posts here.
Valley in the 1970s
In 1971, Valley celebrated its 20th anniversary.
In 1972, the widow of F. Willard Bergen attended the April groundbreaking ceremonies for the three-story, $12 million Bergen Wing of The Valley Hospital. F. Willard Bergen chaired the first formal fund-raising campaign for the hospital in 1946.
Valley continued to make clinical milestones. In 1973, the first total hip replacement surgery was performed by orthopedic surgeon Joseph Pizzurro, MD. Valley also established a one-day surgery unit called the Day Accommodation Room (DAR).
The F. Willard Bergen Pavilion opened in 1974, increasing Valley’s bed capacity to 387. The new pavilion was architecturally unique in that it grouped single patient rooms in clusters of four around a central alcove, where a nurse can simultaneously view all patients.
The years 1974 and 1975 also brought new technology. A new radiation therapy suite opened with a 4,000,000-volt linear accelerator. Valley was the only hospital in Bergen County offering this advanced method to treat cancer at the time. The hospital also acquired its first computerized electrocardiogram (EKG) system that was able to transmit cardiographs 24 hours a day from the Emergency Department to The Mount Sinai Hospital for immediate analysis.
In 1975, Valley got its first computerized tomography (CT) scanner, which provided Valley doctors with superior capabilities to diagnose and treat serious illnesses.
By 1976, Valley had served more than 275,000 patients in its 25th year.
In 1977, the hospital broke records and made clinical advancements. A record 2,341 babies were born, making Valley the third-busiest maternity service in New Jersey. Valley also became the first hospital in Bergen County to perform the implantation of a nuclear-powered pacemaker and performed the first knee replacement surgery.
The decade wrapped up in 1979 with a collaboration between Visiting Nurses of Northern Bergen County, Inc. and Nursing Service of Ridgewood, Inc., forming Northwest Bergen Hospice Program, which is the organization that serves as the genesis of Valley Home Care.
Back in the Seventies
Outside of Valley, the United States experienced a decade of notable leaders and cultural moments. Here are a few facts from the decade.
Presidents: Richard Nixon (1969-1974), Gerald Ford (1974-1977), and Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
Cost of Milk: A gallon was around $1.15
Cost of Gas: Averaged 36 cents per gallon
Historical Events: In the 1970s, the first Earth Day was celebrated (1970), the Watergate scandal took place leading Richard Nixon to become the first president to resign (1972-1974), the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion after Roe v. Wade (1973), the Vietnam War ended (1975), Star Wars debuted (1977), Elvis Presley died (1977), the Apple II computer was released (1977), the first baby conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF) was born (1978), Ted Bundy’s trial was the first to ever be nationally televised (1979), and Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain (1979).
