The year of 2007 marks Craig Hospital’s 100th year of helping people rebuild their lives. In 1907, the Craig Colony offered hope to sick indigent men with tuberculosis. Exemplifying courage, compassion, and dedication, Frank Myron Craig, founder and namesake of the hospital, formed the core from which this century-old national institution has grown and given hope to tens of thousands of patients and families.
At the turn of the 20th century, Frank Craig started the “Brotherly Relief Colony.” Fifty tents were erected for destitute, homeless male consumptives (tuberculosis sufferers) in Lakewood, Colorado. By 1910, simple wooden structures replaced the tents. The name was later changed to “Craig Colony.” By 1955, more than 2,000 men with tuberculosis had been cared for.
As antibiotics brought the TB epidemic under control, the Craig Colony faced declining numbers of patients. Following a community-wide study, a new mission was defined — rehabilitation for indigent men with a range of physical disabilities. Facilities were remodeled, women were first admitted in 1956, and in 1959, the name officially became “Craig Rehabilitation Center.” Craig’s focus on rehabilitation for people with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries began.
Today, Craig Hospital has emerged as a Center of Excellence for its outstanding contributions in the field of rehabilitation and research. Each year more than 2,000 people with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries come from throughout the U.S. and abroad to receive world-class rehabilitation and medical care here. Craig’s consistent quality and unmatched patient outcomes keep it among the top 10 rehabilitation programs in the nation, while its caring, committed and highly experienced staff make Craig very special to its patients, their families and the Colorado community.
A key ingredient to the success of Craig Hospital is hope. Building and maintaining hope drove Craig’s first hundred years; that same hope carries us into the second hundred years.
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