The story of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital begins in 1891 when a small group of women wanted to help people who couldn’t afford health care. They passed a purse and asked anyone named Mary – or anyone who knew someone named Mary – to donate a dime. It was the most common name at the time, and the donations supported the first “Mary free bed” at a local hospital. As funds grew, the women began helping people with physical disabilities.They soon raised enough money to endow a free bed, which subsequently became known as the Mary Free Bed. As the fund – and community need – grew, other women joined the group and today includes 120 women who continue to govern the hospital.
Expansion continued as the guild opened a 12-bed children’s convalescent unit at 1411 East Fulton Street. This early effort was widely recognized in 1935, when we received designation as the Orthopedic Center of Western Michigan by the state Crippled Children’s Commission. The guild also opened the Mary Free Bed Brace Shop, a specialized service that developed custom orthotics, braces and supports.
By 1953, we had established ourselves as a regional center for juvenile rehabilitation services and officially changed our name to Mary Free Bed Guild Children’s Hospital and Orthopedic Center. The decade saw our expansion to provide patients with additional services such as music and speech therapy.
Outpatient services were added in 1960 to serve patients not requiring 24-hour care. Growth continued when the hospital initiated an adult rehabilitation program and expanded care for spinal cord injury and stroke patients. We adopted the name Mary Free Bed Hospital and Rehabilitation Complex in 1966 to reflect an expansion into adult care. That year, 12 men (a first) joined 12 guild women to form the new complex’s board of trustees.
In the early 70's Mary Free Bed moved to the location you see now, with the main hospital built first, the professional building built in the late 80's, and the west addition which was just completed in 2015.
The cache is a medium sized box with some goodies that both adults and kids might enjoy. You can find it hidden within the therapath-a specially designed area that allows people to practice ambulating over various surfaces such as stairs, ramps, and uneven surfaces.