Charlotte Regional Med Center

Description

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Charlotte Regional Medical Center is to respond to patient and community needs as a leader in quality costeffective healthcare We further commit ourselves to create an environment that promotes a caring attitude teamwork and responsiveness to our patients employees physicians and community

VISION

Charlotte Regional Medical Center strives to continuously improve healthcare for all citizens in our community As an organization we are committed to the review and improvement of organizational performance and customer outcomes through continuous selfassessment We foster quality through the selection support and growth of our employees Through collaborative efforts new and future programs will be assessed and implemented

GOALS

As an organization we promote our belief in quality organization and growth Our intense value and respect for our customers and employees is reflected in the following goals

Continuously assess level of care and hospitality provided to our customers patients physicians community employees etc

Support collaborative interdepartmental and intradepartmental problem solving

Promote a mutually supportive and respectful relationship in our policies and actions with our patients physicians community and employees

Assess plan evaluate and implement new services and programs

Strive to provide quality healthcare through the determination of quality and competence of our employees

Support employee growth and development through performance assessment and guided growth

Provide care for our patients in a manner that supports the individual dignity of each person

History

TIME TRAVEL

Time travel Think its impossible Well maybe so But just for a moment imagine being the pilot of your very own time machine Your first journey to the past takes you to the tiny recently incorporated city of Punta Gorda Fla in the year 1887 Medical care is certainly not what we are used to in the new millennium One doctor provides the entire citys health care Still the city is so tiny that the doctor must also operate a combined drugstore and tackle shop to make a profitable living

GROWING UP

Now travel forward 50 years to the year 1937 The population of Punta Gorda has grown to 3500 but by todays standards health care remains antiquated Most medical care is provided in the home by general practitioners Residents requiring hospital care must travel to Fort Myers Arcadia and even Tampa It is during this year that the quest for a hospital in Punta Gorda began Fasten your seat belt Our journey has gotten under way

THE QUEST FOR QUALITY HEALTH CARE CLOSE TO HOME

The year is 1938 Dr Walter B Clement a local physician begins to champion the idea of building a hospital in Punta Gorda Years later some of those closely involved with the building of the hospital will claim that the facility would not have been built at least not as soon as it was without the perseverance of Dr Clement

If you pick up the Punta Gorda Herald during your quotvisitquot to 1938 youre likely to find some mention of the need for a hospital as columnist and future board member Leo Wotitzky writes about the subject often He records the breaking news as the Punta Gorda Rotary Club pays 100 for a set of construction plans and the County Commission begins to investigate ways to finance the project
A 20000 bond issue to build a hospital is placed on the November 1938 ballot However this is the depression era and for many residents money is tight Fearing the thought of additional taxes the majority of residents vote quotnoquot on the measure A hospital in Punta Gorda will have to wait

DETPIRS CANT DERAIL THE DREAM

Were now in the year 1945 Although the hospital bond issue was voted down and World War II has been waged the idea of building a hospital in Punta Gorda is not forgotten In 1940 Mr Wotitzky and Dr Clement convince the Punta Gorda Rotary Club members to advocate construction of a hospital keeping the dream alive After World War II a hospital stock company forms and shares are sold for 100 each A fundraising campaign is launched and construction beginsthen haltsas funds are quickly exhausted

In order to jumpstart the project the stock company converts to a nonprofit private corporation known as the Charlotte Hospital Association Inc The Punta Gorda Herald quotes Charles S Steele chairman of a special hospital fundraising committee as saying quotWe feel that the problem of funding will be greatly simplified when the corporation is made nonprofit so contributions may be deducted from income taxesquot

It seems he is right as fundraising for the hospital quickly becomes a communitywide effort You may be surprised to discover that nearly every resident is taking part in making the dream of a Punta Gorda hospital become a reality In addition to private donations funds are raised through community events such as dances fish frys bake sales teas jewelry sales watermelon cuttings and plays

THE BIG DAY ARRIVES

Its August 17 1947 Can you feel the excitement Its opening day and the entire community is invited to inspect the longawaited Charlotte Hospital Built and equipped for 80000 the hospital houses eight private rooms one fourbed childrens ward and a pair of twobed wards for a total of 16 beds On Monday August 18 1947 the first patient Gussie Peeples Baker is admitted for a tonsillectomy A total of ten patients are admitted during this first week

A MOMENTOUS EVENT

Wotitzky writes in his column quotProbably there are few people who do not recognize that the opening of Charlotte Hospital Monday and its immediate and enthusiastic acceptance is one of the most momentous events in the history of this countyquot Within two years the first hospital Auxiliary volunteer organization is formed and Charlotte Hospital expands to include 22 beds and six bassinets During its first year the Auxiliary makes hundreds of patient gowns by hand provides flowers for patient trays landscapes the grounds and raises funds for window screens and kitchen equipment

CHARTING OUR PROGRESS

During the next three decades Charlotte Hospital expands and changes dramatically Lets journey through each decade and observe its progress

1950s

Its 1956 and Charlotte Hospital is ready for its first major expansion A new South wing is connected to the main building by a walkway increasing the patient capacity to 38 adult beds four bassinets and two pediatric beds In 1959 the hospital changes its name to Charlotte Community Hospital to better identify itself as a facility dedicated to serving the entire community

1960s

We find that 1963 is an exciting year for Charlotte Community Hospital The facility becomes the first hospital in Charlotte County to receive accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals JCAHO And the physical expansion continues the North wing is opened increasing bed capacity to 75 and the Auxiliary donates a chapel gift shop and snack area

In 1965 the hospital adds a 13bed intensive care unit a new laboratory and a 60bed extended care facility Then Executive Director Robert Bruce boasts that the new intensive care unit is the only one of its design and size for a hospital of this size in the United States In 1966 the hospital name is changed to Medical Center Hospital Bruce says the change is being made because quotwe are serving an area not just one countyquot

1969 brings the hospitals biggest change to date The Board of Directors of Charlotte Hospital Association Inc gives the facility to Sunbelt Adventist Health System The hospital remains nonprofit and Sunbelt assumes ownership and management of the now 148bed hospital

1970s

In 1974 a new threestory addition is built expanding patient capacity to 156 The following year a new kitchen and cafeteria are completed The year 1977 brings a significant expansion in the hospitals diagnostic capabilities with the acquisition of an ultrasound unit and CT scanner Outpatient surgery becomes available in 1978

Matters of the Heart

1980s

During the 1980s Medical Center Hospital launches a 3 million renovation project Renovations include the construction of an administrative wing and complete refurbishment of the Laboratory and Emergency Department In 1985 the Wellness Center is opened and in 1987 Riverside Behavioral Center opens its doors In 1990 Sunbelt purchases Home Health Services of Charlotte and later adds a Lee County office

The mid to late 1980s are characterized by the launching of the hospitals cardiac program In the spring of 1985 the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center is opened In February 1986 two cardiologists perform the first cardiac catheterization A modular cardiac catheterization unit is utilized until March 1989 when the first inhouse cath lab is opened The hospitals openheart surgery program is also launched in 1989 and Andre Vasu MD cardiovascular surgeon is the hospitals first cardiac surgeon

The cardiac program continues to expand in the early 1990s as cardiologists perform the first balloon angioplasty atherectomy and stent procedures at the hospital

BACK TO THE FUTURE

In December 1994 Health Management Associates HMA assumes ownership of Medical Center Hospital and the name changes to Charlotte Regional Medical Center Then Executive Director Bill Heburn comments quotOur new name will reflect our new emphasis as a regional tertiary care center to better serve all of southwest Floridaquot

Since HMA assumed management of the hospital the facility has been undergoing major renovations Nearly all areas of the hospital campus have received a facelift We believe this has greatly enhanced our appearance and increased the comfort level of our patients

Strides continue to be made in the medical care we provide Our comprehensive cardiac care program remains a thriving one We have earned Top 100 Hospital distinction from the Solucient firm for the cardiac and stroke services we provide and have been recognized by another national ratings firm as well for our cardiac care pulmonary services and neuroscience stroke services Our commitment to our community is evident in many other areas as well

Much has changed over the past halfcentury However our past and our future have one thing in common Our commitment to providing you with quality health care administered by a caring staff The journey continues