In the early 1960s, Lassen County was busy in building a new hospital adjacent to the one constructed in 1916. Once, opened the new facility would have a major impact on two healthcare facility—Potter’s Maternity Home and Riverside Hospital. “Ma” Potter took the opportunity to retire. The fate of Riverside Hospital was another matter. Irene Bengoa Purdy, a registered nurse, proposed to Dr. Fred Davis, Jr., they and others should purchase it and convert it into a convalescent hospital. Irene could not muster support to accomplish her proposal. In 1969, Riverside Hospital was torn down and replaced with the current convalescent hospital.
Small world. Dr. Davis delivered me when I entered this world. Both he and his father signed my Birth Certificate, which I still have. As I said before, my brother was born at Potter’s; but I was born in the Westwood Hospital.
I remember a big write up in the Lassen Paper about a huge reunion of Potter’s birth babies. That had to have been over
30 years ago because we have been gone from the area that
long.