History of Shriners Children's New England

Established: February 21, 1925

In 1918, when the national officials of the Shriners of North America were selecting locations for their orthopedic hospitals, the state of Massachusetts was selected to take care of the New England states and part of New York state.

Shriners Children's New England, in Springfield, Massachusetts, was built for about $300,000 on 6.5 acres of land donated by the Melha Shriners. It was the tenth hospital opened in the healthcare system. At the time, it housed 60 beds – 30 in a boys ward and 30 in a girls ward. Common conditions treated included clubfoot, congenital dislocation of the hips, and many cases of tuberculosis of the bone and poliomyelitis. In these early days, the average length of stay for patients was 66 days. It was a home away from home for many.

Over 64 years, care expanded to treat scoliosis, limb deficiencies, cerebral palsy, hand disorders and skeletal growth abnormalities. A new, larger facility was built just steps behind the original building. In 1990, at a cost of $27 million – all raised by Shriners – and double the square footage, the new building opened featuring two operating theaters and a gait analysis lab. Thousands of children are treated each year.

Since then, care has continued to evolve and expand. Fracture care, sports medicine and urology clinics have been added to meet the needs of children and families.

View a history of Shriners Children's New England video.

Location Highlights

• May 26, 1924: Cornerstone for hospital laid; thousands in attendance.
• February 21, 1925: Hospital opened. The first patient was an 11-year-old boy named Bertram, from Maine, who had clubfoot. More than 200 children were treated in the first year. Top diagnoses were polio, clubfoot, cerebral palsy, tuberculosis and rickets.
• May 15, 1925: Hospital dedication.
• February 16, 1959: 10,000th patient is admitted; an 11-year-old girl named Jan from Elmira, New York.
• 1979: A dedicated prosthetics department opened. Now called Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS), an average of 2,500 orthotic and prosthetic devices are provided to patients each year.
• 1981: Medical outreach clinics to the Republic of Cyprus were established. Today, more than 40,000 children have received care.
• June 5, 1988: Groundbreaking ceremony for new hospital building.
• October 1990: Patients moved into new hospital building.
• September 29, 1991: Dedication ceremony for new hospital building.
• 1991: Gait lab opened on-site; now known as the motion analysis center.
• 1997: Renowned plastic surgeon Phillip Stoddard, M.D., a pioneer in cleft lip and palate treatment, is named the Medical Director of the craniofacial program.
• 2011: The Shriners Hospitals for Children healthcare system begins accepting third-party payments from insurance companies and government agencies while continuing to provide care regardless of a family’s ability to pay or insurance status.
• 2016: Fracture care clinic begins.
• 2017: Care expands to include sports medicine and urology services.
• 2018: EOS, the first ultra low dose X-ray imaging system in western Massachusetts, is added to the imaging department.
• 2022: Shriners Hospitals for Children — Springfield is rebranded to Shriners Children’s New England.
• January 1, 2023: Transitioned from an inpatient hospital to an outpatient clinic. Patients continue to receive clinic appointments, rehabilitation services (physical, occupational and speech therapy), motion analysis, radiology, orthotic and prosthetic services, and care management. When needed, Shriners Children’s medical staff performs surgeries at a nearby affiliate location.
• November 2024: A new cranial remolding program begins to treat infants with acquired head shape abnormalities.
• February 21, 2025: Shriners Children’s New England celebrates a century of care.