Watch a fascinating video showcasing the first 50 years of excellence and innovation at Inova Fairfax Hospital. The dedicated patient care from the past 50 years continues today and will continue in the future.
View Inova Fairfax Hospital's 50th anniversary ceremony video.
On February 6, 1961, John Kennedy was in the third week of his presidency. Russian cosmonauts were readying for their first trip into space. Medicare, a concept for government-sponsored healthcare, was still four years away.
In the small rural county of Fairfax, a group of visionary, hard-working citizens led by retired nurse Grace Lucas was planning the grand opening of Fairfax County's first hospital. When a woman in labor arrived before the official ribbon cutting, the hospital took in its first patient a bit early. Inova Fairfax Hospital, as it is now known, has been serving Northern Virginia patients and families ever since.
We've grown from just 96 beds to more than 800. Our campus now includes a dedicated children's hospital, a Level 1 Trauma Center, and the nationally recognized Inova Heart and Vascular Institute.
We have become a renowned research center and teaching hospital. We are home to a Virginia Commonwealth University branch campus. Our innovations and medical firsts include the region's first open heart surgery in 1997, the first heart transplant in 1986, and the first heart and double-lung transplant in 1997.
With each medical advance, we have marked a milestone for our patients, staff and the entire Northern Virginia community.
Our recently initiated campus expansion project continues to build on our solid foundation as a world-class leader in patient care and medical research.
