History of HealthCare First Credit Union
Back in 1979, a Credit Union for employees of Lee Hospital was established. It was tough times back then having just experienced the disaster of the ‘77 Johnstown Flood. The hospital staff was experiencing a great deal of financial hardship and having a credit union (in-house) was just what the “financial doctor” ordered. Membership continued to grow every year and more offices were opened for the convenience of the membership.
When Lee Hospital/UMPC was sold back in 2005. The Lee Hospital Credit Union changed its name and charter to HealthCare First Credit Union. Membership opened beyond the walls of Lee Hospital and now was available to anyone working in health care in Cambria, Somerset and Blair Counties. We grew our membership from the early days of a few hundred members to over 6,200 members and five locations.
History of the Altoona Regional Health System Federal Credit Union
Altoona Hospital Employees from various backgrounds and work knowledge joined together in 1970 to come up with the idea to start a Credit Union. The Altoona Hospital Federal Credit Union then came into being. We started out slow, but as the years passed, the Credit Union kept growing in Membership and in products and services to where we are today. The Altoona Hospital Federal Credit Union was founded on the principles of Not for Profit, Not for Charity, But for Service and through the years those principles have been followed. Effective December 21, 2004 your credit union’s name was changed to Altoona Regional Health System Federal Credit Union. Effective October 3, 2005 Mercy Hospital Employees Federal Credit Union merged with Altoona Regional Health System Federal Credit Union. Effective April 1, 2006 Altoona Veeder-Root Federal Credit Union merged with Altoona Regional Health System Federal Credit Union.
Better Together
In April 2016, Altoona Regional Health System Federal Credit Union of Altoona merged with HealthCare First Credit Union of Johnstown. The combined organization operating under the HealthCare First Credit Union name became a credit union of over 10,000 members covering the region of Cambria, Blair and Somerset Counties. In joining these two strong credit unions with their combined history of 87 years and proven reputation, it will benefit its membership through the challenging financial years to come.
