Monday, August 18, 2008

Flint Postcards: McLaren Hospital



My mom worked in the admitting office at McLaren for many years. She could sometimes pull a few strings and get you private room if you wanted it. I loved having lunch and milkshakes at the dimly lit little diner/coffee shop just off the main lobby. Our family befriended a lot of the foreign residents from Peru, Saudi Arabia and various other exotic locales. I've often wondered what your vision of America would be like if Flint was your only exposure to the country. (A lot of these guys played soccer with my brother in the Flint summer leagues, bringing some skill to an extremely rough brand of soccer that often resembled hockey or football more than futbal.) And I even got to visit the morgue once with my mom, where I discovered they really do have toe-tags on the bodies.

14 comments:

  1. We had my baby shower for my older son at Billy's Roadhouse, when I was 34 weeks pregnant. Apparently, if I'd gone into labor while we were down there, Jeremy would have taken me to McLaren. I've heard it's one of the better hospitals in Flint.

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  2. Mclaren is a highpoint for the city, mosdef. One of the most compassionate Doctors I've ever met is there, Dr. Iung, from Brazil. he took excellent care of Mom while She succumbed to Alzheimer's. He and His Wonderful Wife attended the service for Mom even. I was born there, and my brother also. Too bad the rest of Flint can't learn from McLaren.

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  3. All 3 of my siblings were born there. My dad worked there, as a pharmacist(also Welch Blvd. Pharmacy, Baker's and Hurley). I'm glad it's still there.

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  4. When my wife was born at McLaren in the 1960's, my father-in-law took 8 mm home movies following her birth. Afterwards when he was leaving to return to the family home, he filmed about 20 seconds of shots of the exterior of the hospital. It is amazing to look at the original building in that era as opposed to the additions they have constructed now.

    Oh yes, and my wife was a beautiful baby...

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  5. I wonder how many other cities has a large percentage of their hospitals within spitting distance of each other? Flint had McLaren kitty-corner from Flint Osteopathic, which was up the street from Genesee Memorial (which I heard used to be the Lazarium for those suffering from Tuberculosis, aka "consumption").

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  6. Was McLaren Flint General Hospital at one time? I only lived in Grand Blanc for a year. I was a patient at what I thought was Flint General but perhaps it was the Osteopathic hospital. I was only 13and witnessed a murder-suicide my hospital room in 1967 - 68. I've tried to find out what happened to the children of the couple but haven't had any luck. I live a long ways away from MI now. Does anyone remember that incident?

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  7. Was McLaren Flint General Hospital at one time? I only lived in Grand Blanc for a year. I was a patient at what I thought was Flint General but perhaps it was the Osteopathic hospital. I was only 13and witnessed a murder-suicide my hospital room in 1967 - 68. I've tried to find out what happened to the children of the couple but haven't had any luck. I live a long ways away from MI now. Does anyone remember that incident?

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  8. That is a negative Annabelle.

    I was born in McLaren in 1960 and that was, and had been the name for a while.

    I am going to guess it was FOH (Flint Osteopathic Hospital) you were thinking of.

    Here's a link to a story mentioning Flint's 5 major hospitals after the horrendous tornado in the 50's.

    http://www.mlive.com/fljournal/beecher/pdf/7118.pdf

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  9. Annabelle, do You remember their name? and yeah, the Lazarium at Gen. Mem. I think was also called "the Fresh Air Room" at one time. I thought at one point in time that that corner, w/all the hospitals, would combine, become a complex like OHSU. but, w/GM going down for probably the final swirl in the Great Toilet Bowl of American Economics, doubt I'll live to see it. We all ought to get together, get a large type gov't. grant, and do a "study" of Flint. maybe hit all the bars?? blog about it...Sliante GY!

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  10. During the summer of 1964 the ambulance entrance to McLaren off of Beecher Rd. was the primo skateboard run. It was a long slope and smooth as glass with no traffic. We could usually ride it for at least a half hour before some hysterical medical type in white would run out threatening to call the cops. Occasionally the cops did show up and kindly ask us to leave. We would then proceed to Westcombe Ave. and ride the hill down toward Mott Park. Here it was at times necessary to bravely ditch at the curb to avoid unyielding motorists.

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  11. Annabelle - there was a Flint General Hopital. It was on Hamilton between Saginaw St. and James P. Cole. It's now a rehab-type facility called New Path. My husband is currently there and he says it's haunted. That's why I googled "Flint General Hospital" and found your post. Please let me know more details in you can...

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  12. Laura Wright/MangineJuly 28, 2009 at 1:39 PM

    I was born at Flint General Hospital, at least that is what my birth certificate says and that was in 1964, but was trying to find out when Flint General became just that at what year, when I found these blogs. so anyone with anymore info please pass it along.

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  13. I was a Lab. Tech at FGH until 1969 (?) I think. It was not associated with any other hospitals at that time. It was osteopathic. I ran into a doctor out in Phoenix, where I now live, a few years ago. He told me that it was torn down. Sorry, I don't know more than that.

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  14. I was born in Flint General in 1957, the hospital was torn down after FOH was built, all I remember is mom and dad showing me the lot where it used to be

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.