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About Us

French Hospital Medical Center has a long and rich history. We have served San Luis Obispo County for nearly 70 years, and will continue to be your award-winning medical center, well into the future.

The 1950's were referred to by many San Luis Obispo County health care practitioners as "The Golden Years." During this decade, the County grew to a population of over 50,000 and the need for specialist doctors arose.

One such specialist was Dr. Edison French. After he served with the Navy Medical Corps, Dr. French settled in San Luis Obispo. In 1946 French purchased the San Luis Sanitarium on Marsh Street.

Dr. French renamed the sanitarium "French Hospital." There he began to practice state-of-the art medicine. He claimed to be the first surgeon in San Luis Obispo to use intravenous anesthesia, the first to perform a lung resection, and the first to do a collapsed lung therapy. He was also the first specialist to actively encourage other specialists to settle in the area.

In 1972, Dr. Edison French closed the doors to the French Hospital located on Marsh Street and opened the doors to a larger French Hospital located on Johnson Avenue in San Luis Obispo. Dr. French passed away in 1976, but he is still remembered and loved today. Dr. French cared deeply about his patients and his staff and he always reached out to his employees and made them feel like family. French Hospital today is the city of San Luis Obispo's only not-for-profit hospital.

French Hospital Medical Center has a long and rich history. We have served San Luis Obispo County for nearly 70 years, and will continue to be your award-winning medical center, well into the future. We are pleased to announce that we have been named one of the Nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® for a third time by Truven Health Analytics, a leading provider of information solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care.