Baptist Regional Medical Center celebrates 25 years

Baptist Regional Medical Center first operated out of the old Corbin Municipal Hospital on Bishop Street before moving to its new facility on Cumberland Falls Hwy. in 1986.

Sherrie Mays remembers July 23, 1986 like it was yesterday.

On that day, tired-eyed but excited, Mays, along with several other employees at her side, began transporting patients via ambulance from Southeast Kentucky Baptist Hospital to Corbin’s newest care facility: Baptist Regional Medical Center.

"I worked a full shift the night before," Mays said. "I worked in the OB department at the time and was swamped busy. I then turned around and started moving patients all morning until about 12 o’clock that day."

On July 23, 2011 BRMC will celebrate its 25th year anniversary, a feat longtime employees like Mays and Martha Steele, know has required dedication for patient care unlike anyone has seen before.

Steele, who has worked at BRMC for the full 25 years plus another six at the old hospital, says the move to the new facility that day in 1986 was a true blessing.

"I can remember us having three to four patients per room, with no privacy back at the old place," said Steele, who is now the hospitals Critical Care Unit’s Patient Care Manager. "We even would have people lined up in the hallway with screens around them giving them care. We were always awfully cramped."

But the move to the new building gave the employees just what was needed to meet the needs for the community, space.

"We had to increase the number of beds we had," Mays said. "Which we did. The facility that we were in we had done just about everything we could do to make it work. We we’re pretty much landlocked and had no where to expand."

David Lundy, a staff RN in surgery, has only been with the company for 15 years, but understands the importance of the move that happened 10 years before he came aboard.

"It gave us room to grow, which enabled us to offer more services to our community," Lundy said. "The customers in the area have a chance to seek medical attention without having to travel to Lexington or Louisville. They can stay close to home and it just adds to the level of patient comfort we want to offer."

Some of those services include: MRI capability, neonatal intensive care units for newborns who require extra care, laser surgery, women’s health services at the Women’s Health Care Center and help for emotional problems and addictions through the Trillium Center.

"Quality close to home" is BRMC’s mission statement. It’s the exact thing CEO and President John Henson attributes to being able to keep the doors open for 25 years.

"Southeast Kentucky has a unique mix of being one of the sickest and poorest parts of the country," Henson, who has been president for 18 years, said. "When you put those two together it makes it tough to stay open financially and keep the focus on quality and our customers. But we’ve done that and I’m very proud of that."

Throughout the years, BRMC has shown they are committed to doing whatever it takes to increase patient care. For their efforts, in 2001 they won the Governors Gold Quality Award, the state of Kentucky’s highest quality award. BRMC was the first hospital to win the award, which is given out to any public service company.

And in 2009 BRMC became one of 250 hospitals in the country to become ISO-9000 certified which is an international sign of quality.

Which makes Henson smile the most.

"What I am most proud of is our journey toward quality care," Henson said. "On our last three year survey, which we just completed we were told we were probably the strongest ISO-9000 hospital in the country. It says a lot about us."

It also says a lot that BRMC continues to adapt and expand on its facilities.

Over the years, numerous expansions to the building and additions inside the hospital have taken place, proving that when it comes to customer care nothing is off limits.

Some of those changes inside include: static equipment in most rooms that hang from the ceilings to conserve space and limit the movement of patients, a surgical robot which helps in completing minimally invasive procedures and the financial investment into the Oak Tree Hospital in 2008.

Described as a "hospital within a hospital," Oak Tree is the only long-term acute care hospital in Southeastern Kentucky.

"It provides peace of mind to acutely ill patients and their families who might need a longer stay in the hospital than normal," Steele said. "The family members can even learn how to provide in-home care for the patients and also gives the nurses an opportunity to still connect with their previous patients. It’s very family oriented and all about patient comfort."

On the outside, BRMC has expanded their facilities several times. Most recently have been the opening of the new emergency room department and the opening of the CCU and Outpatient Surgery Center. The hospital even renovated a new entrance to make it more accessible for patients. They have even implemented an online and call-in pre-registration system that allows for faster service and better patient to doctor communication

BRMC has also opened an off-site care facility in Baptists Physicians Southeast, which allows for many more physician services such a pulmonary, psychiatry for adults and adolescents and transfusion services. 

To celebrate its 25-year Anniversary, BRMC will be hosting a private event on Monday July 25 at 2 p.m. in the cafeteria.

"This has been 25 years of growth," Steel said. "Though we’ve gotten bigger were still a family no matter what. We’re still a Christian facility who can share our beliefs with our patients and provide the best care so they can feel at home."