Davis Regional Medical Center

Description

Our Vision amp Mission
Vision
Davis Regional Medical Center will be the hospital of choice for patients physicians and employees

Mission
To provide high quality compassionate care that improves the overall health of our patients their families and our community

Values
Integrity Professionalism Innovation Stewardship Collaboration Service Respect

History

History
Beginning in 1920
In 1920 Dr James Davis realized his boyhood dream with the opening of CarpenterDavis Hospital Located on South Center Street the hospital was a result of an arrangement between Dr Davis a prominent surgeon and Dr F A Carpenter an eye ear nose and throat specialist According to historians the custom at that time was for a physician to make house calls as well as have a small office for patient visits With the opening of the 35bed CarpenterDavis Hospital Dr Davis changed this by establishing a group arrangement with assistants nurses technicians and associate doctors

Davis School of Nursing
In May of 1920 the hospital established the School of Nursing with only three ladies in the freshman class Miss Elizabeth Hill a graduate of Mitchell College and the School of Nursing at Charlotte Sanatorium today Carolina Medical Center was the entire nursing staff In addition to organizing the School of Nursing Miss Hill was the first Superintendent of Nurses at Davis considered today Director of NursingChief Clinical Officer The School of Nursing continued operations until 1984 graduating at least 720 people from the threeyear nursing school Interestingly all of the graduates were women except for one man according to a longtime instructor

In the hospitals second year of operation Dr Carpenter died leaving Dr Davis to operate the hospital While continuing to run the hospital Dr Davis began searching for land for a new hospital He chose a cow pasture near the Wagner homestead on West End Avenue his grandmothers home This site would later become the home of his 250bed hospital

A Leader in the Medical Community
On December 17 1925 Davis Hospital moved from its South Center Street location to a handsome new building on West End Avenue An article appearing in the local paper The Landmark described the new 80000 hospital as thoroughly equipped Of the most approved design and construction and with scientific equipment in every department the new hospital is one of the most modern and completely equipped institutions of this type in North Carolina In a Statesville paper written by Dr Davis he cited some of the firsts that he and his hospital were responsible for such as

One of the first hospitals in North Carolina to use a radiographoscope to
view xray films Radiographoscope was invented by a North Carolina
physician

One of the very first Emergency Departments in North Carolina to be open and
staffed by a physician 24 hours a day seven days a week not unusual today
but a significant accomplishment in the 1920s

One of the first hospitals in North Carolina and one of the first in the
United States to install air conditioning in the operating rooms Utilizing
air conditioning is a standard practice today but not in the early years of
healthcare

One of the first hospitals in the United States to use glucose intravenously

An early organizer of blooddonor services and had a blood bank very early in
its history

Throughout the years Dr Davis continued his quest of excellence in healthcare with the addition of a maternity wing more patient rooms and expanded surgical facilities Unfortunately the largest and most significant addition of a diagnostic clinic was completed in September 1955 just three months after his death

Remembered throughout North Carolina as a dynamic driving businessman and a leader in state and national Republican politics Dr Davis was credited with performing over 75000 surgical procedures a truly remarkable accomplishment Announcement of his death brought countless telegrams letters and telephone messages of sympathy from many Republican and Democratic party leaders doctors across the nation and also from the American Medical Association Dr Davis was praised as a visionary who gave his whole life for the advancement of medical science Abiding by his wishes Dr Davis was buried in an unpretentious tomb on the south lawn of the West End Avenue hospitalUpon sale of the West End Avenue property Dr Davis tomb was later moved to Davis Memorial Baptist Church in Wilkes County

New StateoftheArt Hospital in East Statesville
Davis Hospital continued to operate from the West End location until 1981 Over time 17 additions were made and the need for a newer more modern facility became apparent Construction on a 20 million dollar stateoftheart facility began in April 1983 On March 24 1984 Davis moved 58 patients from the West End location to their new hospital on Old Mocksville Road a 149bed facility

Continuing tradition the 1980s afforded Davis more firsts including

The first birthing rooms in Iredell County offering a new concept in
delivering babies 1984

The first C02 Laser in Iredell County especially for surgical procedures for
gynecology and ear nose and throat applications 1984

Caring for the first testtube triplets in North Carolina resulting in a
live national broadcast from Davis on the Good Morning America television
show 1984

The countys first psychiatric unit 1987

A Decade of Growth

In the 1988 1998 years Davis saw expansion in many areas such as

The first Neurologist and Neurodiagnostics Laboratory offering EEG EMG and
NCU diagnostic testing

The first mobile Lithotripter crushing of kidney stones in Iredell County

The first Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in North Carolina

A new Physical Rehabilitation Department with an indoorheated therapy pool
1994

Wound Care Center for the treatment of chronic wounds Oct 1996

While the 1990s were a decade of change for Davis Regional it is important to note that the hospitals commitment to the community did not waver Consistently the hospital has contributed an average of over 80 million dollars each year back to the community in the form of local taxes paid charitable contributionspublic service charity care salaries and equipment upgrades