Edison French with his two sisters, Ione and Inez, circa 1913.
“Inez French, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George French, died of pneumonia at a hospital in San Jose Thursday evening,” the obituary read. “Her death comes as a particularly hard blow to the parents, as she is the second child to be taken within a week.”
Inez and her sister, Ione, both under the age of 14, were victims of the 1918 influenza pandemic—the largest pandemic in modern history, until the coronavirus in 2020.
The untimely loss of his two older sisters had a profound impact on 10-year-old Edison French. Deeply affected by his sisters’ suffering, Edison chose to pursue a career in medicine. He dedicated his life to providing the highest-quality health care by founding what would become French Hospital Medical Center, one of the country’s “100 Great Community Hospitals,” as determined by Becker’s Hospital Review.
In 1946, inspired by a tour of the famed Mayo Clinic, Dr. French purchased an old sanitarium with the vision of creating a “mini Mayo Clinic” on California’s Central Coast. He called it French Hospital.
From there, Dr. French started bringing his vision to life. A skilled surgeon, he performed numerous firsts in the beautiful, rural city, including a lung resection and a collapsed lung therapy, and introduced the use of intravenous anesthesia and other advanced treatments.
Just as important as these ground-breaking procedures and tools, however, was creating a culture of “Carism.” Dr. French wanted his hospital to be a place where caregivers provided the highest-quality care at an affordable cost and genuinely cared about patients as people. It would be a true community hospital where medical professionals took the best possible care of their friends and neighbors. It was his philosophy that the very best care, was care close to home.
As the local population continued to grow in the 1950s, Dr. French knew the hospital needed more experienced doctors so he worked hard to bring more specialists to the area. This included his brother, George, who moved to San Luis Obispo to practice orthopedic medicine and would go on to perform the first total hip replacement in San Luis Obispo County in 1970.
Another top recruit was the much loved and highly respected Dr. Louis Tedone, the area’s first pediatrician. In 1953, Dr. French invited him to join the team at French Hospital, where he stayed for more than 20 years before starting his own practice.
In 1975, Dr. French brought on cardiologist Dr. David Harvey to develop what would become the hospital’s nationally ranked heart surgery program. The French Hospital “dream team” was rounded out by other top-notch doctors, nurses, administrative personnel, and other staff. By then, the hospital had moved to a newer, bigger campus to accommodate more patients and specialty units.
Though Dr. French passed away in 1985, his vision of recruiting physicians from top medical schools, using the latest advanced technologies, and providing affordable, high-quality care is a promise French Hospital Medical Center continues to keep.
To date, we have expanded to include the renowned Copeland, Forbes & Rossi Cardiac Care Center, the Copeland Health Education Pavilion, the Stollmeyer Family Birthing Center, Hearst Cancer Resource Center, the Oppenheimer Family Center for Emergency Medicine, and much more.
Recently, we have taken more steps to continue preparing for the future. The $130 million Beyond Health campaign will upgrade facilities, technologies and procedures to exceed our community’s needs and expectations.
French Hospital, 1946 and into the future
The French Hospital of the future will be a culmination of Dr. French’s vision of superior health care and set the standard for care for the region with:
A new four-story, 85,000-square-foot patient care tower with 56 new single-patient rooms
A 16-bed (state-of-the-art private, family-oriented) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
An additional 10 private Intensive Care Unit beds, bringing the total to 21
Expanded space for imaging, labs, pharmacy and more
Enhanced and advanced technologies and services
A helistop helicopter landing pad for critical emergencies
A new front entrance, lobby, and dining area
An interfaith chapel open to all for prayer, meditation, learning and group services
Holistic grounds and healing spaces
A rooftop garden terrace providing space for sensory stimulation, socializing, and outdoor activities
To learn more about French Hospital, visit www.gobeyondhealth.org or follow #75YearsofCare on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About the Author
Alan Iftiniuk is president and chief executive officer at French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, CA. He led a successful turnaround of the community hospital after taking the helm when Dignity Health took ownership in 2004.
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French Hospital Medical Center opened its doors in 1946 with the vision of combining physicians from top medical schools, the latest advanced technologies, and high-quality care to serve residents in San Luis Obispo, California. Now in its 75th year, the hospital is undergoing a $130 million expansion for the future.
