Alternative medicine is almost synonymous with the name Santa Fe but back in the 1940s the Cradle Home stood on its own. It was started by Dr. Laurence C. Boatman who was an Osteopathic practitioner. He was not allowed to treat his patients at St. Vincent Hospital because he wasn’t considered a medical doctor. So Dr. Boatman established his own clinic in a two-story house on Don Gaspar Avenue. Due to the high number of children he delivered it was named the Cradle Home.
Alternative Options
There, Boatman not only delivered babies, but performed surgeries and created a clinic that was an alternative to St. Vincent. At that time the hospital was overcrowded and understaffed. The Sisters of Charity, who were staffing St. Vincent, were seeking more support from their mother house. But for many, the care at the hospital, especially for birthing, was impersonal. The Cradle Home provided a more homelike atmosphere . There was more attention paid to each patient because of the low patient-doctor ratio and the doctors were committed . Dr. Neil L. Sorenson joined the staff as a partner to Boatman.
Homey Atmosphere
Boatman’s wife, Eileen Dohr, helped her husband by decorating the interior. She enlisted the help of Sorenson’s wife. The two opted for a homey atmosphere . The two wives hung curtains and pictures, making it as home-like and comfortable as possible. Many Santa Fe natives of a certain age probably knows someone who was either born at the Cradle Home or had children there.