Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

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Lore & Background

Founded in 1902 as the Kaspare Cohn Hospital in Los Angeles, the institution was renamed Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in 1930. In 1961, it merged with Mount Sinai Hospital (Los Angeles) to form Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The hospital has its own graduate medical education programs and is not affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Cedars-Sinai physicians and researchers have contributed to advances in cardiology, oncology, and genetics, among other fields. The hospital is consistently ranked among the top hospitals in the United States, with its own distinct rankings separate from those of New York hospitals.

In Their Own Story

In 1856, its first full year of operation, the new entity saw a total of 216 admissions, with five surgeons and physicians on staff and six more that had consulting positions. During the Civil War, the hospital was unexpectedly filled to capacity with soldiers injured in the conflict. Dr. Israel Moses served four years as lieutenant colonel in the 72nd New York Infantry Regiment; Joseph Seligman had to resign as a member of the board of directors, as he was increasingly called upon by President Lincoln for advice on the country's growing financial crisis. The New York Draft Riots of 1863 also impacted the hospital's resources, as it admitted many of the wounded. In 1903, S. S. Goldwater, a doctor, was appointed superintendent of the hospital, and as such became the first professional medical hospital administrator anywhere in the United States. In 1906, the first social worker was hired, and a social service department was created under Goldwater's leadership.

Reader's Guide

The Mount Sinai Hospital is known for the large number of medical breakthroughs it has pioneered and has long been considered one of the preeminent medical institutions in the country. Also included on the campus are the Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital and clinical facilities associated with the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center. Well-known structures on the campus include the Annenberg Building and the Guggenheim Pavilion. The hospital's name is always preceded by a capitalized 'The', thus 'The Mount Sinai Hospital', even in running text, while the other hospitals in the health system, such as Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West, get no 'the' or 'The' at all. There are, or have been, a number of different and unrelated healthcare institutions in North America called 'Mount Sinai Hospital' – all named after the Mount Sinai of the Hebrew Bible – including one in Cleveland (opened 1903), one in Milwaukee (opened 1903), one in Philadelphia (opened 1905), one in Montréal (opened 1909), one in Chicago (opened 1912, changed to name 1919), one in Norfolk (opened 1921), one in Hartford (opened 1923), one in Toronto (opened 1923, changed to name 1924), one in Los Angeles (opened 1923, changed to exact name in 1926), one in Miami Beach (opened 1946), and one in Detroit (opened in 1953). But the one in New York was first.

Did You Know?

• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center was founded in 1902 as the Kaspare Cohn Hospital in Los Angeles, making it one of the oldest hospitals in the city.
• The hospital's name comes from the 1961 merger of Cedars of Lebanon Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital (Los Angeles).
• Cedars-Sinai is known for its pioneering work in cardiac care, including the first successful coronary artery bypass surgery in the western United States.
• The medical center operates its own graduate medical education programs, training over 400 residents and fellows each year.
• Cedars-Sinai has been consistently ranked among the top hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, with particular strength in cardiology, gastroenterology, and orthopedics.