Over a Century of Service in Philadelphia's Western Suburbs

Lankenau Hospital and Bryn Mawr Hospital, two large suburban teaching hospitals founded in 1860 and 1893 respectively, had been viewed for years as competing hospitals. While the competitive nature of the two hospitals was always friendly, their chief executive officers, Carl I. Bergkvist (Bryn Mawr) and Ralph F. Moriarty (Lankenau), met periodically during the 1970s to discuss trends in health care and the needs of their communities.

In 1984, the two hospital presidents, along with a Joint Committee of Bryn Mawr and Lankenau trustees, determined that the communities served by these hospitals could be better served in the future if these two hospitals, along with Bryn Mawr Rehab which was then part of Bryn Mawr Hospital, joined forces. They anticipated five benefits from this affiliation:

• A long-range plan for the best health care at the lowest possible cost could be developed for the communities served by the hospitals.
• They could capitalize on the financial and personnel resources and other strengths of the hospitals to operate more efficiently and effectively.
• The hospitals would be in a better position to deal with the multitude of pressures on, and the challenges to, community hospitals.
• The scope of services available to the communities the hospitals served could be broadened with new health-related enterprises.
• Medical education and research activities may be strengthened and expanded.

Main Line Health was formally incorporated in 1985 as a non-profit, charitable organization. In September 1986, Paoli Hospital joined the system. Community Health Affiliates (now the Home Care Network ), a visiting nurse, home care and hospice organization, became a member in 1993.

In 1996, the governance of Main Line Health was reorganized into a single Board of Governors and a single management structure. Newly constituted hospital Foundation Boards were established to provide local community input into the affairs, programs, and activities of each individual hospital. At the same time, the medical staffs of the three acute care hospitals voted to become a single medical staff and appropriate medical committees were established.

Also in 1996, Main Line Health and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital formally created Jefferson Health System (JHS). Since then, the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Frankford Health System, and Magee Rehabilitation Hospital have also joined JHS as founding members. JHS is recognized as the largest and strongest healthcare system in the Delaware Valley.

In 2007, Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media, PA became the fifth hospital in the Main Line Health system.