Stamford Hospital
Stamford Hospital is a 305‑bed, not‑for‑profit community and teaching hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, on the Bennett Medical Center campus. It serves Fairfield and Westchester counties and is the city’s only hospital. It is the largest teaching affiliate of Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons outside NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, with Columbia‑affiliated residents and medical students rotating through departments such as Primary Care, Family Medicine, Surgery, and Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The hospital’s history began in 1896 when Judge John Clason funded the project after selling land for the initial funding. It opened with 30 beds and was named Stamford Hospital, chosen to be nonsectarian and open to all patients. Growth came under Edgar L. Geibel (1954–1977), including the construction of the white pavilion wing (1966–1969). In 1982, Philip D. Cusano became president and CEO, and the modern Stamford Health System began to take shape with additional facilities and services. The system later acquired the neighboring St. Joseph Medical Center and expanded teaching ties with Columbia University.
Financial challenges in the 1990s gave way to stronger performance in the 2000s, with revenues reaching around $357 million by 2007. A major expansion dubbed “New Stamford Hospital” began in 2008 and added an 11‑story glass tower. The project was completed in 2016 at a cost of about $575 million. Since 2010, Stamford Health has grown its medical group and opened outpatient centers across Fairfield County and southwestern Connecticut.
The Bennett Medical Center campus houses the main hospital, the 11‑story glass tower, and the older Perkins & Will and Whittingham pavilions. The adjacent Bennett Cancer Center provides comprehensive cancer care with medical, radiation, and surgical oncology, interventional radiology, and genetic services, and participates in ongoing research. In 2007, the hospital started a Familial Colorectal Cancer Registry, named after donors Carl and Dorothy Bennett.
In 2018, Stamford Hospital and Hospital for Special Surgery opened a collaborative nursing unit and operating rooms, with HSS orthopedic and sports medicine physicians. The two organizations also work together at Chelsea Piers for sports rehabilitation. The Cohen Children’s Center offers a full pediatric ward, pediatric specialty services, and a dedicated pediatric emergency department.
A satellite campus northwest of the main hospital offers outpatient services in a medical mall setting, and the Tully Family Wellness Center is housed on land once used by St. Joseph’s Hospital. The campaign for Stamford Hospital has also supported the Patty and George Sarner Health & Fitness Institute, which provides rehabilitation and fitness services. Additional outpatient facilities, largely imaging centers and clinics of the Stamford Health Medical Group, are spread across southwestern Connecticut, including HSS at Chelsea Piers, Darien Imaging Center, Darien Medical Center, Wilton Surgery Center, and Holly Hill Greenwich.
Stamford Hospital operates 305 beds and hosts about 500 affiliated physicians, offering a wide range of general and subspecialty care. It is a certified Level II Trauma Center, with capabilities in trauma surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, vascular surgery, and interventional radiology. It is also thrombectomy‑capable for acute stroke and focuses on neurology/stroke, cardiology, cardiac surgery, and orthopedics.
The hospital is home to volunteer programs, including Health and Humor Associates (HAHA) who entertain patients in the halls. Notable honors include the 2004 Ernest A. Codman Award for a protocol that improved outcomes for critically ill patients, the 2005 American Nurses Credentialing Center Award for Nursing Excellence, and the 2007 EY Entrepreneur of the Year (social enterprise) award for former president Brian Grissler. In 2018, Stamford Hospital earned LEED Healthcare Certification for its green building practices.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 00:12 (CET).