NewCourtland Elder Services

History

On September 21, 1862 during The Civil War, Courtland Saunders was shot and killed.

Years later his father, The Reverend Dr. Ephraim Saunders spoke at a service which honored Courtland by dedicating land at 39th and Market Streets in Philadelphia for the establishment of Presbyterian Hospital. At the dedication, Rev. Saunders said: “A few days before the battle of Antietam…he [Courtland] passed with me from his tent in the forest. We sat upon a log. In view of the perils of war…he recommended that in the case of his death…the property should all be donated to some prominent …charity.”

In 1871, the original incorporators of the Presbyterian Hospital stated that the object of the corporation was “to provide medical and surgical aid and nursing for the sick and disabled, either in the wards of the Hospital or at their homes”. They established a hospital to provide care and nursing to the indigent of Philadelphia, funded through donations from Presbyterian churches and individuals as part of their Christian mission.

In 1952, the trustees of the hospital voted not to move to the more affluent suburbs but to stay in West Philadelphia and remain committed to providing care to that community. In the 1980s, the President of Presbyterian Hospital, Don Snook, often said that it was Presbyterian’s dedication and commitment to its mission that separated it from other health care institutions in the city. In those years, and through the 1990s, Presbyterian enjoyed great prominence in the city as a tertiary care center and community hospital. But in the mid 1990s, senior management came to believe that in an era of increased costs and shrinking revenues, an independent hospital the size of Presbyterian might not survive unless it strongly allied with a larger system. On July 1, 1995, Presbyterian Hospital became a part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. This marked the end of one era and the beginning of another.

The NewCourtland Elder Services network, founded on July 1, 1995, and the nursing homes, housing options and programs that it manages continue to be stewards of the original mission of caring for those in need. We believe that Rev. Saunders would embrace this shift in focus from hospital care to elder care as it is in full keeping with his original idea of providing what is most needed.

In 2005, NewCourtland Elder Services celebrated its ten year anniversary, with ten months of special events.

Mosaic Mural

The Mosaic Mural (pictured left) was built by students and elders as a part of the Comfort & Joy initiative.