Inova Celebrates 150 Years of Caring at Inova Alexandria Hospital

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson proclaimed Dec. 12, as “Inova Alexandria Hospital Day” in honor of the hospital’s leading role as the city’s trusted healthcare partner.

Alexandria, VA – Inova Alexandria Hospital (IAH) marked its 150th anniversary with a celebration event held on the hospital’s campus. Inova leaders, hospital team members, community partners and elected officials were on hand to commemorate this incredible milestone in Inova’s history. 

“Our hospital has been a cornerstone of the community for 150 years,” said Rina Bansal, MD, MBA, President of Inova Alexandria Hospital. “It was important to us to take a moment and recognize the efforts our leaders, supporters, volunteers, team members and providers have made to bring world-class healthcare to the communities we are privileged to serve.”

IAH began with the grassroots effort of Alexandria resident Julia Johns, who saw a need for a community hospital when the city’s residents feared a typhoid epidemic was upon them. Johns gathered her neighbors, and together they opened the Alexandria Infirmary in 1872.

Today, IAH is Virginia’s oldest continuously operating community hospital. Throughout the years, the hospital has led the way in care delivery innovation, with an impressive array of healthcare “firsts” including the first nursing school in Virginia, the first hospital in Northern Virginia to offer full-body CAT scan, and the first hospital in the nation to staff an emergency department around the clock in 1961 – known nationally as the Alexandria Plan.

“Inova has continued to expand the depth and range of services available in Alexandria, providing top-quality healthcare to the city, all while ensuring Alexandrians and all residents of Northern Virginia have access to the resources and expertise of the Inova system,” concluded J. Stephen Jones, MD, FACS, President and Chief Executive Officer of Inova. “We are committed to carrying the innovative and compassionate spirit of Julia Johns forward as we meet the changing and evolving health needs of our communities for generations to come.”

In 2020, Inova announced plans to move IAH to a new campus at the former Landmark Mall location. When complete, Alexandria residents can look forward to:

• A larger and more advanced emergency care center
• Private rooms for all patients
• State-of-the art maternity care
• Full cancer services, including radiation and infusion, at Inova Schar Cancer at Inova Alexandria
• A specialty medical office building, enabling doctors who are providing care in the hospital to also see their patients for office visits on the hospital’s campus

Watch IAH’s 150^th anniversary video to learn more.

About Inova
Inova is Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider. Our mission is to provide world-class healthcare – every time, every touch – to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve. Inova’s 20,000 team members serve more than 2 million individuals annually through an integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes. 

Inova’s five hospitals are consistently recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals and Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades for excellence in healthcare.

Inova is home to Northern Virginia’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Its hospitals have a total of 1,936 licensed beds. More information and statistics about Inova can be found at www.inova.org.