After more than 125 years of providing extraordinary care to sick and injured infants, children and teenagers, Floating Hospital for Children today takes on a new name - Tufts Medical Center. The new name more closely aligns the pediatric hospital with its owner, Tufts Medical Center, and better positions the 104 bed hospital for the future of pediatric health care.
“Floating Hospital started as a ship in Boston harbor, back in the day when doctors thought that sick kids needed the clean sea air to get better,” said Geoffrey Binney, MD, Pediatrician-in-Chief at Tufts Medical Center. “It’s a rich history, but unfortunately, even after all this time, the name hasn’t resonated with the people of Boston and surrounding towns. Changing the name to one aligned with the Tufts brand will help us receive attention commensurate with the outstanding pediatric care we have provided for more than a century.”
A full service children’s hospital with a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center and Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Floating Hospital for Children commissioned research over the past three years that show awareness for the institution remains very low. Conversely, the Tufts name is growing in strength with high brand awareness and nine in 10 health care consumers saying they trust Tufts Medical Center.
“Sharing the Tufts name reflects the close relationship between the University, Medical Center and Children’s Hospital as well as the common commitment our organizations have to the very best in education, research and care. We are thrilled for Tufts Medical Center to continue its work and further our relationship under a name we all hold in such high regard,” said Anthony P. Monaco, President of Tufts University. Tufts Medical Center is the principal pediatric teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine.
The facility cares for 40,000 children each year. In addition to providing services for children and teens at the primary location in Chinatown, Tufts Medical Center has a number of specialty centers throughout the Commonwealth that will also take on the new name. Those include: Tufts Children’s Brockton, Tufts Children’s Chelmsford, Tufts Children’s Lawrence and Tufts Children’s Woburn. Additionally, Tufts Medical Center will continue to provide inpatient and emergency care through clinical affiliations at community hospitals including Signature Brockton Hospital, Cape Cod Hospital, Lawrence General Hospital, MetroWest Medical Center and at its Wellforce system partners, Lowell General Hospital and MelroseWakefield Hospital.
In 1894, its inaugural year sailing Boston harbor, Floating Hospital treated 1,100 children in need. It wasn’t long after that a research facility was built on land to explore new pediatric medical treatments. One such discovery came in 1919 – the first-ever artificial milk product, today known as Similac. In 1927 when a fire destroyed the ship, hospital trustees decided to move all clinical services on shore, as well.
Other discoveries included the first human growth hormone in 1958 and in 1981, the world’s first pediatric trauma center was established. A special display honoring the hospital’s history is being built as part of current renovations. In addition, the new logo features four colorful boat-shaped marks, to pay tribute to the hospital’s nautical history.
“We will always cherish the hospital’s history and its legacy,” said Rachel Wasserstrom, Vice President, Tufts Medical Center, Women’s Health and Psychiatry. “It has been an unbelievable 125 years caring for everything from stomach aches to the most complex medical conditions. We look forward to continuing to provide the highest level of pediatric care and making new scientific breakthroughs to keep kids healthy at Tufts Medical Center over the next century.”
