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February 3, 1957 - A group of physicians meet to discuss developing a new hospital in Walnut Creek. They each commit $200 and form the Walnut Creek Community Hospital Association.

October 1958 - 10 acres of land are purchased on Ygnacio Valley Road for $31,675.

May 1959 - 39 civic-minded women establish the "Women's Auxiliary" to assist the Board of Trustees with their fundraising efforts.

Spring 1959 - Believing that it would be appropriate to have a name for the hospital that would represent the large area of the community served by the hospital, a contest to suggest a name is conducted among school children of Central Contra Costa County. The name John Muir Memorial Hospital is selected in support of the parallel interest that the naturalist and the hospital share - an abiding concern for the preservation and conservation of life.

April 8, 1963 - Construction of the Hospital begins.

October 13, 1963 - The cornerstone is laid.

June 16, 1965 - John Muir Memorial Hospital is opened as a 150-bed facility at a cost of $4.5 million.

1967 - The Hospital opens the first Cardiac Care Unit in Contra Costa County.

1969 - The Hospital opens the county's first heliport, permitting air evacuation of critically ill and injured patients.

1970 - The Hospital reaches capacity and planning for Phase II construction begins.

1971 - The Nuclear Medicine Department is opened, aiding in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

1974 - The Ambulatory Care center is opened.

1975 - Phase II expansion is completed, adding 111 new beds to the Hospital. The Oncology Service is established in addition to several other diagnostic and patient care facilities.

1977 - John Muir's Family Birth Center opens.

1979 - The John Muir Foundation is established.

1980 - The Yosemite Building opens and houses the Hospital's CT scanners and linear accelerators.

1980's - The Hospital reaches capacity again and Phase III designs begin to provide new operating rooms, an expanded birthing wing, a neonatal intensive care unit, an outpatient surgery center and a new endoscopy unit.

1986 - John Muir Medical Center is designated as the Trauma Center for Contra Costa County.

1989 - Sierra Surgi-Center, an outpatient surgery facility, opens.

1990 - The Medical Center's Intensive Care Nursery receives Level III status becoming the only one of its kind in Contra Costa County.

1997 - John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek and Mt. Diablo Medical Center in Concord merge to form the John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health System.

2000 - The Medical Center reaches capacity again and must comply with new seismic safety standards imposed on all California hospitals. Plans are developed to construct new clinical space and increase the total number of patient beds, increase patient capacity in the Intensive Care Nursery, double the treatment capacity of the Emergency Department, increase the number of surgical suites, and enlarge the parking capacity of the Medical Center. Construction on Phase IV development is scheduled to begin in Fall 2008.

2004 - Construction of a new 58-acre Brentwood campus begins to house primary care physicians, comprehensive diagnostic imaging, urgent care clinic, laboratory, rehabilitation services, outpatient surgery center, and extensive office space for medical specialists. The Brentwood facility opens in Spring 2005.

2006 - The different entities of John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health System unite together under one name, John Muir Health. The organization evolves from a two-hospital system to one organization with multiple campuses, an extensive physician network, and a broad range of health services. It is recognized as one of the region's premier healthcare providers offering areas of specialty including high and low risk obstetrics, orthopedics, neurosciences, cardiac care, cancer care, and trauma.

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