Adventist HealthCare traces its roots to the turn of the 20th century when Ellen White, co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, contributed proceeds from the sale of her book The Ministry of Healing to help build the Washington Sanitarium. Its first entity, Washington Sanitarium opened in February 1904 and was temporarily headquartered in Washington, D.C., until a permanent facility in Takoma Park, Md., was opened in June 1907.
In its early years, the Sanitarium improved the physical, mental, and spiritual health of its visitors through rest, exercise, and a wholesome diet. After World War I it began providing surgical, obstetric, and emergency care. In 1971, the hospital performed its first open heart surgery. Two years later, it was renamed Washington Adventist Hospital.
Months later, a second facility, Hackettstown Community Hospital (now called Hackettstown Regional Medical Center) opened in northwestern New Jersey. In 1979, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital opened its doors in Rockville, Md.
Today, Adventist HealthCare, one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland, employs more than 7,000 people and cares for more than 250,000 patients annually. This nonprofit network includes three acute care hospitals, a rehabilitation hospital, one psychiatric hospital, numerous nursing centers, and several home health agencies.