History of the Ladies Board
Since the inception of Leesburg Hospital in 1912, The Ladies Board has been an integral part of healthcare in Loudoun County. A mere two weeks after the six-bed hospital opened in a rented house along the town’s Market Street, The Ladies Board of Managers was organized by local churchwomen to provide volunteer supervision of housekeeping and to raise funds. Fast forward to today, and The Ladies Board continues its role of supporting the hospital, now named Inova Loudoun, through fundraising, community relations, and nursing scholarships for many who live and work in Loudoun County.
The types of work and support have changed with the times. The initial 40 Board members were overseers and as such, supplied kitchen and dining equipment, bedding, and food for the hospital and its patients. It encouraged the community to make similar donations and aided The Leesburg Garden Club in growing and canning vegetables for patients and staff. One of The Ladies Board’s major responsibilities from 1926-36 was maintaining a home for nurses-in-training. Throughout the decades, The Board has donated funds to purchase land for expansions and to renovate and add to the hospital. In 1996, The Ladies Board committed support and money for a new hospital to be built at Lansdowne, just east of Leesburg.
Today’s Ladies Board funds its many projects with proceeds from The Annual Rummage Sale (established in 1926), Twice Is Nice thrift shop in Leesburg, Riverside Gift Shop located in the North lobby at Lansdowne, the Lights of Love remembrance program, and the Polly Clemens Nursery Fund. Money raised is used for nursing scholarships ($120,000 in 2023) and the purchase of equipment for all areas of the hospital. In 2008, The Greatest Needs Fund was established by The Board and Inova Loudoun Hospital Foundation to provide all hospital departments with funding for equipment and other materials. Also in 2008, The Board fulfilled a $1 million pledge for the new Birthing Inn, which is named for The Ladies Board. The Ladies Board is half-way toward fulfilling it’s current pledge of $1.2M.
In 2023, the Ladies Board of Inova Loudoun Hospital is as committed as ever to the hospital and the community it serves as it supports a major renovation and addition to the Lansdowne campus.