On Friday, Amber Halstead said she woke up feeling like it was Christmas morning.
“I couldn’t get back to sleep, laying awake for the alarm clock,” shared Sampson Regional Medical Center’s vice president of strategy and business development.
That’s because Friday marked the 75th anniversary of the first time the hospital opened its doors. An event was held at 2 p.m. on the front lawn to commemorate the milestone.
“One of the ironies of today is, we have the opportunity to care for today, as a patient, a child who was at our dedication 75 years ago,” Halstead said. “I think that’s jut a testament to our longevity in the community and our story and our mission, and how things come full circle. On this very same day in 1950, we opened our doors for the first time, and we are so thankful for the commitment and the investment and the determination of those founders 75 years ago. It was their vision and their action that laid the foundation for health care in our community today.”
SRMC CEO and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shawn Howerton also gave his remarks on the hospital’s anniversary. “It as an honor to lead such an outstanding organization and group of people. Three-quarters of a century ago, our community came together with a vision — to build a hospital that would care for our community close to home. Since then, through every challenge, every triumph, we’ve maintained our mission.”
“We stand as one of the few independent hospitals left standing in North Carolina,” he added.
Ronnie Jackson, described as a longstanding community advocate for the hospital, serving on both the Board of Trustees and the hospital foundation board, shared some of SRMC’s history. “This hospital has always had a special place in my heart,” he said. “I came on the Board of Trustees in 1985. The hospital was 35 years old at that time, just a mere child so to speak.”
According to Jackson, the Clinton Rotary Club is 102 years old, meeting continuously since 1923. “Dr. Noel Parker gave a program on the need for a hospital in 1937,” he stated. “The Rotary Club and then the Lions Club later on got together and formed a committee to start a hospital. A little bit over $1 million went into the hospital in 1950.”
In 1950, what was then Sampson Memorial opened with 100 beds. In 1960, 45 more beds were added, expanding to a total of 178 beds in 1967.
Sampson Regional is also one of very few hospitals with its own blood supply. In 1975, the blood bank opened and remains independent to this day. A bloodmobile was added to the hospital’s services earlier this year. For a detailed timeline of the hospital’s accomplishments over the past 75 years, see the anniversary magazine inserted inside this issue.
Jackson also praised the SRMC Foundation, which has raised millions of dollars since its inception for various programs and initiatives. “People would make a donation and it seemed like they were happy about it,” he joked.
“This hospital, in my mind, has been very successful,” Jackson said. “There’s very, very few like it in North Carolina. You can read in the paper about some of the struggles of other counties not too far from us, that’s having real trouble keeping their hospital open.”
He attributed the success to the doctors, nurses, staff and the community. “There are so many dedicated employees,” he said.
Tammy King, chief nursing officer, stated that the hospital values its employees. “We know how important our employees are to the growth that we’ve experienced,” she said. “We think that this is a great time to recognize some of our employees that have been here for several decades.”
She specifically recognized long-tenured employees, Brenda Avant, PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) nurse, with more than 40 years of service, and Theresa Lee, ICU nurse with 42 years of service.
“Your compassionate care, your commitment to the organization means so much to us, and I know it has meant so much to the community and to the patients that you’ve taken care of over the years,” King told Avant.
She said to Lee, “We know that your dedication to your patients and to your community has had such a positive impact. We’re just honored that you’re a part of the hospital.”
To round out the anniversary celebration, two retired employees cut a commemorative cake. Sarah Hesketh retired as director of obstetrics with 37 years of service and Harriet Bryant, an ICU nurse, retired in 2020 after 42 years. Both joined the hospital’s volunteer program after their retirement.
See our commemorative SRMC 75th anniversary magazine in this issue.