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Description

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Our Mission
To preserve and improve life by providing access to quality and customer friendly healthcare services

Our Vision
To be the hospital of choice to the communities we serve

Our Values
Compassion we provide service in a caring sympathetic manner and serve as
an advocate for those in need

Honesty we promote trustworthiness and sincerity in all interactions

Respect we provide courteous and considerate service

Integrity we value conduct that is consistent with high moral and ethical
standards

Dignity we provide professional confidential and nonjudgemental service
to all

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History

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In 1917 Dr Jacob T Bowman opened a private hospital on West Main Street in the duplex residence known as the Jack Philips property The first floor served as an office and Dr Bowmans residence Three rooms on the second floor were devoted to patient care Recognizing the need for more space Dr Bowman purchased the John R Scott residence on South Center Avenue plus the Sanner residence in the rear and converted them into a 15bed private hospital

The financial problems which beset this venture crystallized efforts for a community hospital Reverend I Hess Wagner president of the Chamber of Commerce called a meeting of concerned citizens to discuss measures to raise 40000 to purchase the Bowman holdings and remodel them as a hospital A steering committee was appointed to propose ways to raise the money F W Cunningham who served as the hospitals first board president was among these founding fathers

On January 31 1921 the Bowman title was transferred a charter recorded and Somerset had its community hospital The purchase price of the Bowman Hospital was 25000 and an additional 10000 was spent to remodel the hospital making necessary improvements

Major expansions of the facility followed in

1939
East Church Street Wing

1952
South Center Avenue Wing and fourth story added to main building

1955
A twostory addition

1959
Fourth floor central addition

1973
Fourth floor north wing addition

1984
Emergency Room expansion

1988
East Wing added

1994
Fourth floor added to East Wing plus a new Emergency Department and Helipad

1998
New Same Day Services facility opened on the East Wing

1999
A permanent MRI center opens

2004
The new Outpatient Services Annex Opens

2008
The Wheeler Family Medical Center Opens

2009
In Touch Hospice House opens

The number of patients in 1927 totaled 476 That number increased to 1520 in 1936 Today Somerset Hospital is a 150 licensedbed hospital which cares for about 5200 inpatients more than 157000 outpatients and nearly 18000 emergency cases annually The hospital presently has a complement of medicalsurgical beds pediatric beds obstetricgynecology beds nursery cribs an intensive coronary care unit skilled nursing beds and an adult adolescent and child neuropsychiatric service with a 18bed hospitalbased unit

Other services currently include medical oncology a sleep lab a dialysis center a cardiac catheterization laboratory a pain management program occupational health and community education Round the clock emergency care is provided by the hospital Ancillary services include radiology laboratory rehabilitation and cardiopulmonary departments

Patient care is provided at the hospital by a medical staff of senior active physicians including a team of radiologists a pathologist and a group of anesthesiologists Other medical staff physicians serve the hospital through the consulting staff and courtesy staff An emeritus staff completes the medical staff at Somerset Hospital In all 160 physicians and dentists enjoy hospital privileges

The guidelines for general hospital policy are established by the hospitals Board of Directors The board is comprised of 19 distinguished Somerset county leaders who offer the hospital a variety of professionalism The hospital administrator and his administrative staff members are in turn charged with meeting the objectives coordinated by the board and medical staff by monitoring all employee activities within the nearly 56 hospital departments Today Somerset Hospital employs 728 ranking the organization as one of the areas largest employers

Several volunteer organizations have contributed and continue to contribute to the health needs of the community Volunteers offer their services by engaging in fund raising and pledging activities The oldest volunteer organization the Senior Hospital Auxiliary was founded in 1921

The Junior Hospital Auxiliary was founded in 1937 and the Somerset Welfare League in 1935 However to meet the needs of the hospitals everchanging needs the Junior and Senior Auxiliaries combined forces to become one united group in September 1984

Somerset Health Services provides the organizational structure for four medical centers a drug and alcohol rehabilitative center and a durable medical equipment company

Since its founding in 1921 as a 20bed institution Somerset Hospital has evolved into a multimillion dollar community asset with an expense budget of nearly 48 million and a payroll of more than 24 million In recent years Somerset Hospital has made great progress It is our hope to continue to work with the communities we serve to deliver quality health care in the form of treatment or services We hope that you will always look to us as your provider of choice