The fictional hospital on which General Hospital is based is the site of many life-changing medical, emotional and relationship struggles for its characters. While the show has often been criticized for its melodramatic plot lines and shallow portrayal of real-life medical conditions, it also has gained praise for being an early pioneer in several trends in soap operas, including the use of fast-paced action and adventure storylines, recurring character archetypes and the use of technology to enhance medical procedures.
The hospital, which is a nonprofit organization, has a variety of financial sources, including private investments, insurance billing and government grants. It manages budgets and finances to optimize revenue streams and ensure the long-term financial sustainability of operations. It offers biopsychosocial evaluation, brief medical-psychiatric intervention and psychopharmacological management to thousands of non-psychiatric patients in the general medical setting, both inpatient and outpatient.
In addition, the hospital is known for its state-of-the-art technological integration and patient monitoring systems. This advanced technology enables healthcare providers to monitor and track the health status of their patients in real-time. Moreover, it allows them to deliver high-quality care and improve overall patient outcomes. In turn, the hospital receives higher satisfaction scores and more referrals from other hospitals for psychiatric care.
GH is known for its early-adopter status in addressing social issues such as HIV/AIDS awareness, tolerance and understanding of the gay and lesbian community and surrogacy. It is also credited with raising awareness of domestic violence, spousal abuse and child abuse. The hospital has also been an advocate for various health and medical issues such as breast cancer awareness, organ donations, autism, Alzheimer’s and mental illness.
When General Hospital first started in 1963, it was a dramedy focusing on hospital-related issues and the personal lives of its characters. The original cast, which included John Beradino as Dr. Steve Hardy, Jack Wagner as Frisco Jones and Emmy Award-winning actress Kimberly McCullough as Nurse Robin Scorpio, was a defining group of “tentpoles,” trade jargon for the main characters upon whom most plots are hung.
In the 1980s, General Hospital shifted gears and became better known for its fast-paced action and adventure storylines. This trend continued when Wendy Riche took over as executive producer in 1992.
During this time, the fictional town of Port Charles was quarantined after an anesthesia tank exploded and released toxic spheres. The hospital was also evacuated when a helicopter crashed into the building, and the character of Luke Spencer (Francois Perkins) reunited with his ex-wife Carly Spencer (Kristina Davis). Other prominent storylines during this period include the death of eight year old B.J. Jones, the daughter of Dr. Tony Jones (Brad Maule) and his wife, nurse Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman), and the AIDS-related struggle of teenage couple Stone Cates (Michael Sutton) and Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough).