Kettering Health is a not-for-profit network of eight hospitals, Kettering College, and over 120 outpatient facilities serving southwest Ohio. Patients have access to high quality maternity care, state-of-the-art cancer fighting technology, Ohio’s leading heart hospital, as well as revolutionary brain and spine surgery. With nearly 12,000 employees and 2,100 physicians, Kettering Health is committed to transforming the healthcare experience with world class health services for every stage of life.
The Kettering Health Network's mission is to improve the quality of life of the people in the communities we serve through health care and education.
We are dedicated to excellence and to providing everyone the most appropriate care in the most appropriate setting. In the spirit of Seventh-day Adventist health care ministry, we strive to be innovative and to convey God's love in a caring environment.
Kettering Health Network will be recognized as the leader in transforming the health care experience.
2014 marked the 50th anniversary of the Charles F. Kettering Memorial Hospital. Like its namesake, the hospital has a tradition of bringing innovation and cutting-edge technology to the region to improve the lives of people in our community.
Born in 1876, Charles Kettering spent most of his life tackling tough questions and vigorously pursuing innovation. He was director of research at General Motors for 27 years and founded Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company, known as Delco. He held more than 300 patents for inventions, including the first practical automobile self-starter and the first reliable battery ignition system.
Charles vision was to utilize innovative technology in caring for patients in a community hospital setting. His son, Eugene, and Eugene's wife, Virginia, sought to fulfill that vision by building a hospital as a living memorial to him.
During the polio epidemic in the 1950s, Eugene and Virginia had witnessed firsthand the compassionate, quality health care at Hinsdale Hospital near Chicago. The hospital was founded as part of the healthcare mission of the Seventh-day Adventist church. Hospital leaders and staff incorporated Christian values at every level of service.
The Ketterings wanted people in the Dayton area to experience the same extraordinary care. They rallied the support of local community and business leaders to raise the money to build the new hospital on the 90-acre Kettering estate. Though the Ketterings were not Adventists, they asked the Seventh-day Adventists to build and operate the hospital because of their admiration for the Adventist healthcare philosophy.
George Nelson was named Kettering Hospital's founding administrator and first president. Known for his integrity, competence, sound judgment, and ability to lead, George worked closely with the Ketterings to build the hospital and establish its unique culture.
The groundbreaking took place on July 7, 1961. Two years later, the hospital was officially dedicated. On March 3, 1964, the hospital admitted its first patients.
The campus, now known as Kettering Medical Center, grew in size and the variety of services offered. In 1967, Kettering College opened adjacent to the hospital, offering degrees in health science fields.
The same values that guided the Kettering family and the founding hospital leaders continue today in the employees and volunteers who serve at Kettering Medical Center and throughout Kettering Health Network.
Kettering Medical Center has been named one of the Top 20 Most Beautiful Hospitals in the United States by Soliant Health, an Adecco Group company that is a leading provider of specialized healthcare staffing services to hospitals and healthcare providers. Kettering Medical Center was ranked #7 following a month-long voting period opened to the public. More than 50 hospitals were nominated.
U.S. News & World Report has ranked Kettering Medical Center among the best hospitals for 2019-20. The annual Best Hospitals rankings, now in their 30th year, are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or for common elective procedures.
Kettering Medical Center is ranked #10 out of 237 hospitals in Ohio and is recognized among the Best Hospitals in the Ohio River Valley region.