Charles Cole Memorial Hospital marked its 30th anniversary in October 2002 but the origins of today's hospital go back to October 1917 when Miss Margaret Tighe purchased the Dean Sanitarium and opened under the name of the Coudersport Hospital. The borough of Coudersport accepted ownership of the hospital in 1934, making it a public institution. In 1944, it became known as the Potter County Memorial Hospital in honor of Potter County veterans of World War I and II as well as those whose gifts and labors made the hospital possible.
With the death of Charles Cole in 1961, the direction of this small community hospital suddenly changed. In his will, Mr. Cole provided funds for a new healthcare facility. Through the generosity of his widow, the former Edith Pinney, and after three years of planning and more than two years of construction, Charles Cole
Memorial Hospital was dedicated on October 1, 1967. Mrs. Cole later was married to Chicago surgeon, G. Howard Irwin, and both maintained a philanthropic interest in the Hospital until their deaths in the 1990s. Many of the new buildings, including the Irwin Rehabilitation Center and the Irwin Medical Arts Center, have been funded by the charitable trusts they established. Most recently, the Irwin Trusts helped to fund the addition of radiation oncology at the Patterson Cancer Care Center.
These endowments provide an important source of support which enables the Hospital to continue to grow and respond to the needs of the community.
The growth of services at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital benefits all the communities we serve. Patients know they can count on the Hospital to meet their healthcare needs - now and in the future.
