Cleveland Clinic Celebrates Its Centennial Year, Starting With Founders Day on Feb. 26

On this day in 1921, four physicians hosted a ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio, to celebrate the opening of their group practice, unveiling a new model of care based on cooperation between clinicians.

Today, our Founders Day, and throughout the year, Cleveland Clinic will celebrate its 100-year history with virtual events, digital experiences and community initiatives to honor our past and celebrate what is to come.

To kick-off the celebration, there will be a Founders Day virtual presentation from 6 to 7 p.m. EST today, which will feature:

• Remarks from Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic, M.D.
• Special musical performances by Goo Goo Dolls’ lead singer Johnny Rzeznik as well as members of The Cleveland Orchestra, and other celebrity guest appearances.
• The world premiere of “A Century of Care,” a branded documentary-style series produced by Courageous Studios, brand studio for CNN and part of WarnerMedia. The story follows Cleveland Clinic patients and caregivers through an extraordinary year.
• A discussion of healthcare in the next 100 years by Cleveland Clinic leaders from around the world.

All are welcome to join at this link or by visiting clevelandclinic.org/centennial.

The foundation of Cleveland Clinic’s 100 years of patient-centered care began with the hospital’s physician founders. After caring for wounded soldiers in World War I, Drs. Frank Bunts, George Crile, William Lower and John Phillips believed in teamwork to serve the welfare of patients. Their credo was “to act as a unit,” which became a founding ideal for Cleveland Clinic. One hundred years later, the organization remains a team of teams focused solely on the patient.

“At Cleveland Clinic, we serve a true and noble purpose to care for others,” said Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic, M.D. “Our mission of ‘caring for life, researching for health and educating those who serve’ evokes the past, present and future of patient care. Our innovative culture and commitment to the patient experience have gone hand-in-hand with our dedication to research and education. Our history shows that, and it will continue into the future.”

What started as a unique group practice 100 years ago has grown into a global organization with locations in Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Toronto, Abu Dhabi, and soon London. Today, Cleveland Clinic’s 70,000 caregivers deliver compassionate and exceptional care to more than two million patients worldwide.

Remaining committed to innovation and research, Cleveland Clinic has led the way in developing hundreds of new life-saving medical advances, technologies and procedures. Among Cleveland Clinic’s many pioneering breakthroughs are coronary artery bypass, face transplant, minimally invasive organ removal, targeted epilepsy surgery, brain tumor treatments, cancer genetics, surgery to cure diabetes and artificial organs research.

Caring for the community is also a long-standing priority at Cleveland Clinic. As an anchor institution – a major employer and provider of services in the communities we serve – the health system is committed to helping create the healthiest community for everyone through programs and actions to heal, hire and invest for the future.

Throughout its history, Cleveland Clinic has been supported by local and state leaders. Recently, the City of Cleveland recognized the health system’s centennial by renaming East 93rd Street between Euclid Ave. and Chester Ave. as Cleveland Clinic Way.

Looking to the future, Cleveland Clinic’s goal is to continue the legacy from the past 100 years to create an even better place for patient-centered care here and in locations around the world.

For more information including a timeline of the top moments in Cleveland Clinic history, visit clevelandclinic.org/centennial.