History of UH Portage Medical Center

In 1894, Wilford W. White, MD, a young surgeon, saw the need for a hospital to treat accident victims in the area. After completing his studies at the Western Reserve Medical College, he purchased a home on East Main Street in Ravenna. The facility became known as The White Hospital and housed 18 beds and an operating room.

The hospital steadily grew and by 1920, the county had purchased it and it had expanded to 48 beds. In 1932, with the help of Portage County residents and a $75,000 donation from the Robinson brothers, the George F. and Mary A. Robinson Memorial Portage County Hospital opened.

Continued growth and increased demands for hospital services led to the need for a new hospital, and in 1977 the Robinson Memorial Hospital opened. In the 1990s, expansion continued through the opening of outpatient centers in surrounding communities. The hospital continued to grow in the early 2000s, with a new emergency department, cardiovascular center, birth center, radiology department, and new facilities in Aurora, Kent and Streetsboro. Today, the hospital has 14 health affiliate practices and hospital centers in 11 locations.

Robinson Memorial Hospital joined University Hospitals in 2015.