The hospital began as a small emergency hospital in 1895 to serve the Niagara Falls region and has since evolved into a full-service, 171-bed medical center consisting of all-private rooms offering inpatient and outpatient services including: Memorial is Niagara's safety net hospital for the medically underserved, uninsured and underinsured, annually providing some $6.5 million in uncompensated and charity care.

[citation needed] Memorial operate several satellite facilities including the Summit Healthplex and Tuscarora Health Center as well as the Schoellkopf Health Center, a 120-bed skilled nursing facility that features 100-percent private room accommodations and specializes in short-term rehabilitation and elder care.

Since 2003, Memorial has made $62 million in capital improvements to its downtown Niagara Falls campus.

It is affiliated with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and operates under the direction of Jeffrey O. Burnett, D.O.

At Niagara Falls Memorial, residents work closely with board-certified physicians and faculty members.