Doernbecher Children's Hospital records

The Doernbecher Children’s Hospital (DCH) records date from 1925 to 2023 and consists of administrative and financial records, letters, ledgers, outreach materials, transcripts, newspaper clippings, essays, photographs, and emails evidencing the growth and inner workings of DCH and the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Guild over the past century.

This collection is unique in that it documents the inception and evolution of one of the nation's preeminent pediatric hospitals over the span of a century. Those interested in pediatrics, nursing, 20th century medicine, and fundraising for medical benefit will find much of use in this collection.

This collection is organized into eight main series: I. Administrative and historical records and writings, II. Financial, III. Photographs, IV. Patient and case reports (Restricted), V. Correspondence and outreach, VI. Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Guild, VII. Division of Neonatology patient logs (restricted), and VIII. Personal collections.

The first series, “Administrative and historical records and writings”, which dates from 1927 to 2023, includes fact sheets, medical research essays, reports on hospital operations, memorandums, brochures, newsletters, and holiday cards sent by the hospital. There are also several essays describing the work that went into the planning, fundraising, building, furnishing, and ongoing operations of the hospital. More recent emails are stored as digital files.

The second series, “Financial”, includes a variety of financial paperwork from 1926 to 1934. This includes compiled survey information about other hospitals, spending reports, budget information, salary and payroll documentation, and correspondence regarding financial matters. There are also some statements from the Doernbecher Guild regarding receipts and disbursements.

The third series, “Photographs”, contains 12 photographs spanning from approximately 1925 to at least 1997. There are images of medical staff with patients, some consent forms (restricted), a photo series from 1993 intended to show the lack of space at the hospital, and three photos mounted to foam core showing construction of the new building in 1996 and 1997.

The fourth series, “Patient and case reports”, includes some materials that are restricted due to the presence of personal health information. This series dates from 1932 to1938 and contains patient charts and health information. There is a detailed report describing two consecutive epidemics of anterior poliomyelitis from 1927-1928 and the hospital’s response. Additionally, there are multiple medical case studies written by DCH staff including one coauthored by Joseph B. Bilderback, M.D., DCH’s first chief of staff.

The fifth series, “Correspondence and outreach”, dates from 1925 until 1949 and includes letters from community members responding to different news stories, sometimes including the specific newspaper clipping. There are also many responses from Grace Phelps and Richard Dillehunt to inquiries from groups interested in Doernbecher’s history and ongoing work.

The sixth series, “Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Guild”, dates from 1931 to 1986. The Doernbecher Hospital Guild formed early in DCH’s planning stage when it became clear that the initial bequest from the Doernbecher family would not be enough to complete construction and equip the facility. The first two folders in this series contain a wide range of administrative, financial, and event materials from the Guild’s fundraising and administrative support. The collection also includes the well-organized planning materials for every “Silver Tea” anniversary event from 1931 to 1942 and newspaper clippings from each year.

The seventh series, “Division of Neonatology patient logs”, consists of nine ledgers that were used by Dr. S. Gorham Babson, M.D. to note specific data about the birth and care of individual infant patients in Doernbecher’s Division of Neonatology from 1951 to 1970. Prior to being included in this larger collection, the materials in this series were originally collection 2011-011 having been transferred to the OHSU Historical Collections & Archives in July of 2011 by Katie Riley of the OHSU Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

The eighth series, “Personal collections”, includes materials from other smaller accessions. The first subseries was donated by Tara Mardikes who found the photos and 1959 newspaper clippings in her grandmother’s house. The second subseries comes from the desk of Robert Neerhout, M.D., former Head of Pediatrics at DCH and was brought in by his daughter Mary after his death in 1994. There are articles and staff photos, and a very thorough scrapbook of clippings from 1926 to 1930 about DCH. Based on other paperwork, it seems likely that the scrapbook may have been compiled by either Joseph B. Bilderback, M.D. or his wife Gwendolyn who then loaned it to Dr. Neerhout.