Mrs. Hunton called on the sick at their homes and in 1885, calls became so frequent that she fitted up rooms in the neighborhood. Seeing the need for a dispensary, in those post-Civil War times, she determined that Peekskill must have a hospital. Mrs. Hunton rented two rooms, one for men, the other for women, in a small house and equipped it with furniture from her own home. Dr. Alexander O'Snowden was the first doctor to volunteer his services.

After three years, Mrs. Hunton and members of the Docras Society formed the Helping Hand Association. It was incorporated on April 15, 1889, with nine women trustees and an advisory board of five gentlemen.

An old brewery, tenement house and saloon at the southeast corner of Hudson Avenue and South Street were purchased in July 1889. Eighteen hundred dollars was raised to buy the home of the first hospital named "The Helping Hand Hospital." Three patients were admitted in 1889, and that number rose to 30 patients by 1890. The small hospital had ten beds, supervised by one matron and one orderly.

In 1894, a revolutionary war era house, the Frederick W. Requa home, with a barn on four acres, overlooking the Hudson River, was purchased. This was to remain the site of the Peekskill Hospital until 1966.

The name was changed in 1889 from Helping Hand Hospital to Peekskill Hospital. A training school for nurses was incorporated in 1898. That same year, the barn on the property was renovated into a pavilion for contagious diseases such as scarlet fever, measles, diphtheria, small pox and infantile paralysis. In memory of Dr. John Newell Tilden, a former physician, a new wing was built as a men's ward in 1908.

The hospital had grown to such a proportion that by 1911, twenty-one members were elected to the Hospital Board of Directors.

A Firemen Memorial Wing was built in 1919 to commemorate the seven firemen who lost their lives fighting a disastrous fire at the Fleischmann Plant at Charles Point. A third floor was added, in 1926, to this wing to take care of maternity patients and children. By then, the hospital featured 75 beds.

The first Auxiliary was formed in 1937 with seven women. Over the years it has grown to a volunteer force of 500 members, who have donated countless hours and contributed generously to the Hospital.

The need to expand even further was acknowledged, so in 1964 property was purchased in the Town of Cortlandt on Crompond Road. After two years of construction, the Hospital moved to its new site, in a modern 114-bed facility, but without the glorious views of the Hudson River from the Operating Rooms. By 1978 a new wing was added to allow expansion of the Emergency Room, the Radiology Department and the Intensive Care Unit.

Under new leadership in 1987, the Hospital began an era of fiscal health and an enhanced reputation in the community. The Hospital's service area was expanding and the new name, Hudson Valley Hospital Center (HVHC) in 1991 reflected a broader patient base and won a national turn-around contest sponsored by Modern Healthcare Magazine.

In 1995, the Wagner Pavilion doubled the square footage of the Hospital with a new Emergency Department, Operating Suites, and a Conference Center. Meanwhile, satellite centers with medical services were strategically placed to accommodate the needs of several outlying communities.

The Women's Pavilion for Birthing enjoyed a grand opening in 2000. HVHC was leader back in 1992 when whirlpool tubs for birthing were installed in the labor and delivery rooms. Today, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit offers families with special-needs babies to stay close to home and still receive quality care.

The Wellness Club, an affiliate of HVHC, opened recently in Mohegan Lake and has exceeded all expectations in popularity with area residents who want an intimate, holistic approach that integrates fitness for the body, mind and spirit.

More growth is on the way in order to keep pace with an increasing population of residents in the northern Westchester, Putnam and southern Dutchess region. The Hospital is aggressively planning to further expand before the end of 2004.

HVHC is now considered a Mecca of education, preventative medicine measures, high-tech equipment and a proponent of the "better for you" philosophy.