Barnstable County Hospital

Barnstable County Hospital
Building on the grounds of the former Barnstable County Hospital
Geography
Location	Pocasset, Massachusetts, United States
Organization
Funding	Public hospital
Type	Specialist
Services
Emergency department	No
Speciality	Tuberculosis Rehabilitation
History
Opened	1918
Closed	1999
Demolished	2003
Links
Lists	Hospitals in Massachusetts

Barnstable County Hospital was a public hospital in Pocasset, Massachusetts, owned and operated by Barnstable County.^[1] The hospital opened in 1918 as a tuberculosis sanatorium and served multiple functions throughout its history. During the 1920s and 1930s, it hosted children's summer camp. In the 1940s, it was equipped with iron lungs to treat patients during the polio epidemic. In the 1980s and 1990s, it functioned as a rehabilitation and long-term care facility.^[1]

In 1995, due to significant financial difficulties faced by Barnstable County, the hospital began the process of winding down its operations. In 1996, the county secured a $1.25 million loan to cover closure and debt-related expenses.^[2] The hospital ceased all operations by 1999. In 2003, many of the hospital's buildings were demolished to make way for the construction of a $10.9 million assisted living facility.^[2][3]

The hospital also conducted the autopsies of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette following their plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in June 1999.^[4]

References

1. Dennehy, Kevin (July 30, 2000). "A place of healing". Cape Cod Times. Pocassett, MA. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
2. Melo, Frederick (August 29, 2002). "Pocasset hospital eyed as assisted-living site". Cape Cod Times. Pocasset, MA. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
3. Gately, Paul (July 8, 2019). "Former Otis Hospital to be demolished". Bourne Courier. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024 – via WickedLocal.com.
4. MacQuarrie, Brian (July 23, 1999). "Kennedy, Bessette ashes cast from ship". The Boston Globe. Aquinnah, MA. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2024 – via Boston.com.

41°41′10.84″N 70°36′4.66″W