70 years of history at the service of people At Vall d'Hebron Hospital, we have been providing healthcare for 70 years. Our history over this time has been marked by major events that have made us the hospital we are today. Here we will review the highlights, from modern times right back to the beginning. 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 1950s The opening of the Hospital changes the nature of the neighbourhood In the 1950s, Spain and Catalonia were emerging from the devastation of the Spanish Civil War and entering a period of economic recovery. In 1955, the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital was built to cover the needs of the growing numbers of beneficiaries of the Seguro Social de Enfermedad (Social Security for Illness) system. It was sited in an area of farmland at the foot of the Collserola hills, some distance from the city. The hospital in a flim The first nurses arrive at the hospital 1960s The hospital grows in size and services and begins its modernisation process The 1960s were years of change, in which economic development improved the living conditions of the general population. Vall d’Hebron grew, first with the creation of the Maternity and Paediatric hospitals and then Traumatology in 1966, and its slow but unstoppable modernisation began, with the structuring of internal medicine. Opening of the Children's Hospital Traumatology Hospital opens 1970s Consolidation With the arrival of democracy, the neighbourhood grew in population and the hospital’s position was firmly established. It was officially renamed Hospital Vall d’Hebron and it advanced significantly in three key areas: the new structure for Internal Medicine and medical specialities, the organisation of the surgery services, and teaching. 1980s The period of major milestones begins The 1980s was a period of a more open and liberal society and the development of the state of self-governing autonomous communities. Management of the Vall d’Hebron Hospital was transferred to the Catalan Health Institute (ICS), AIDS was diagnosed for the first time (1981), the first paediatric liver transplant in Spain was performed (1984), and the day hospital was given greater priority. 1990s A leader in transplantation and research The 1990s were marked by Barcelona hosting the Olympic Games, which brought about the transformation of the city. In Vall d’Hebron, transplantation, one of its main areas of healthcare, was strengthened with the first lung transplant in Catalonia and the second in Spain (1990), and the first liver and kidney multi-organ transplant in Spain (1994), while the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute was founded (1994). 2000s Prestige The new millennium marked a turning point in the use of new technologies. Vall d’Hebron quickly consolidated its position as a prestigious centre in patient care with achievements such as the creation of the fast breast cancer diagnosis circuit in 2005, while it continued to open its doors to research with the creation of the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) in 2006. 2010s The Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus is founded In 2016, the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus was officially founded to continue working at the forefront of healthcare, research, teaching and management. A project that united the spirit of four institutions: the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology and the Multiple Sclerosis Centre of Catalonia. The Autonomous University of Barcelona also joined later. 2020s The New Vall d’Hebron rolls out the knowledge area model and new infrastructures after meeting the challenge of Covid-19 In 2020, Covid-19 shook the world. Vall d’Hebron was transformed to provide care for thousands of patients with the disease while putting into practice a pioneering organisational model based on knowledge areas. The 21st-century Campus also became a reality, with improvements to existing infrastructures and the creation of new ones. The COVID-19 pandemic put Vall d’Hebron to the test