This year, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital celebrates its 100-year anniversary of serving children and families. As the #1 children’s hospital in Florida and the only nationally ranked pediatric hospital in Tampa Bay by “U.S. News & World Report,” hospital leaders, staff, patients, families and the community look forward to commemorating a century of excellence in pediatric care, highlighting the hospital’s legacy and future vision of continued growth and service.
“2026 kicks off a year-long celebration of our hospital’s rich history, acknowledging the many individuals who helped us become Florida’s leading children’s hospital,” says Alicia Schulhof, M.H.A., F.A.C.H.E., president of Johns Hopkins All Children’s. “This is an incredible milestone, a historical time for our organization, made possible by ongoing community support, dedicated employees and visionary leaders. I am so proud to be a part of this celebration as we reflect on where we started to where we are now — the top children’s hospital in the state and the exciting expansion of services underway, like our brand-new Wesley Chapel Hospital opening next year.”
When a polio epidemic in the early 1920s created a crucial need for pediatric care, the American Legion Post 14, based in St. Petersburg, led the effort to build a hospital where children suffering from polio and other crippling conditions could seek care. The American Legion Hospital for Crippled Children was founded in 1926 and opened the following year in a building that had housed a speakeasy before its transformation to a citrus house. In 1967, with polio nearly eliminated, All Children’s Hospital replaced the American Legion Hospital for Crippled Children and expanded services to cover a broad variety of pediatric specialties.
Fifteen years ago, a new hospital (the current building) opened, and in 2011, All Children’s became part of the Johns Hopkins Health System…