The De Forest Residence – a new facility at the Clinic La Lignière (Lake Geneva Sanatorium) located in Gland, Switzerland - was inaugurated on April 15, 2010, in the presence of 80 guests including local authorities and administrative staff.
De Forest Residence derives its name from Dr. Perry Alfred De Forest, born in 1867. De Forest was the first physician in charge of the Lake Geneva Sanatorium, which was purchased in 1904. Dr. De Forest used to be an associate and disciple of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, who is still well known for the brand name cereals. When he arrived at La Lignière in 1905 with his wife and two eldest children, Dr. De Forest started his practice with four nurses and five patients.
Under the leadership of Dr. De Forest and his staff, an impressive array of institutions has emerged: a nursing school, a primary school, a faculty of theology, a publishing house that used to print books on health and spirituality, as well as a church.
De Forest, a Canadian-born British citizen, lived in Gland until his death in 1947. Three of his grandchildren still live in Switzerland.
Also in 1905, under the leadership of Dr. De Forest, the health food factory (PHAG) was founded. This factory, which was the first of its kind in Europe, closed in 1994. Its building was demolished to make room for the new Residence.
The Dr. Perry Alfred De Forest Foundation, established in March 2007, aims to promote safe accommodations for elderly or disabled people and to improve their quality of life. The project was launched thanks to a generous donor. In order to follow the Foundation’s purpose, which is to provide apartments at a reasonable price (in collaboration with social insurance and lodging services), an agreement was made allowing people who benefit from social systems to have secure housing and assistance. The current structure includes 18 apartments, some additional rooms, some one-room flats and a multipurpose hall. The first residents moved into their new homes on May 1st. To date, 21 inhabitants are occupying 16 of the units.
The project represents a new page for the entire institution. The residents living at De Forest Residence have access to all the services provided at Clinic La Lignière.
Clinic La Lignière offers a comprehensive approach to each individual patient, taking into consideration his physical, psychosocial and spiritual dimensions. Diseases and conditions related to stress, various constraints and poor lifestyle habits (such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, etc.) require concerted management between different care units, medical infrastructure, advanced technology and a quality humanitarian approach.
La Lignière has been a vanguard of health care for more than a century. The clinic property covers an area of 8,800 square meters, employs 230 people and provides 95 beds.
