Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Martin Memorial Celebrates 70 Years of Bringing Health Care to the Community

Martin County Hospital officially opened its doors on March 8, 1939 with a ceremony featuring hospital authorities and the philanthropists who helped make it a reality.

Seventy years later, Martin Memorial Health Systems is celebrating seven decades of providing health care to residents of Martin and St. Lucie counties.

On March 27, a display highlighting historical artifacts, a video and a timeline of Martin Memorial’s milestones will be open to the public. The display will be available for viewing from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Martin Memorial Medical Center Conference Center, located at 200 S.E. Hospital Ave. in Stuart.

Much has changed since the 23-bed hospital originally opened its doors on the banks of the St. Lucie River. According to the organization’s first annual report, published Feb. 26, 1940, the hospital and its staff of 17 admitted seven patients on its first day of operations. In its first 11 months, Martin County Hospital admitted 389 patients, including 36 births.

Today, Martin Memorial is a health system that features two hospitals and 12 locations throughout Martin and St. Lucie counties, providing acute, primary and preventative care. Martin Memorial’s 2008 Annual Report shows there were a total of 119,853 patient visits at its two hospitals, including 19,589 total patient admissions and 2,129 births – a sign of the growth that has taken place through the decades.

As the community’s needs have grown, so has the breadth of Martin Memorial’s service. Highlights include:

· 1942: The Martin Memorial Auxiliary began serving as volunteers for the hospital.
· 1963: The hospital expanded to 78 beds.
· 1970: The hospital expanded to 120 beds.
· 1976: The hospital expanded to 216 beds.
· 1979: The hospital expanded to 252 beds.
· 1983: The Martin Memorial Foundation was created. It celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008, having raised more than $64 million in funds that have helped provide care. Martin Memorial also first started offering services in St. Lucie County, with an urgent care facility on Port St. Lucie Blvd.
· 1992: Martin Memorial Hospital became Martin Memorial Health Systems. The primary hospital became Martin Memorial Medical Center and Martin Memorial Hospital South, a second facility, opened its doors.
· 1995: Martin Memorial opened a facility in St. Lucie West.
· 1999: The Martin Memorial Cancer Center opened. It was renamed the Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center in 2005.
· 2003: The emergency department at Hospital South was expanded.
· 2004: Martin Memorial received authorization to begin construction on a heart center. The cancer center’s radiation-oncology department expanded to St. Lucie West.
· 2006: The Frances Langford Heart Center opened its doors after a 20-year battle to bring open-heart and interventional cardiology to Martin County.
· 2009: Construction on the Martin Memorial Emergency Center at St. Lucie West begins.

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