In Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Princeton Baptist Medical Center in Birmingham, Al

Floor Speech

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Ms. SEWELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of Princeton Baptist Medical Center and Baptist Health System.

Though the history of Princeton Baptist Medical Center begins in 1922, the framework of the hospital, dates back to 1906 with the establishment of Birmingham Infirmary by Dr. William Christopher Gewin. Specializing in compassionate care in a Christian environment, Birmingham Infirmary was a pioneering medical center in the city of Birmingham, serving as the city's first training school for nurses.

By 1922, the Birmingham Baptist Association assumed ownership of Birmingham Infirmary, making it the first time any local Baptist association owned a hospital. As a faith-based hospital, Birmingham Baptist Hospital, now Princeton Baptist Medical Center, built its organization on the premise that it would provide service to patients regardless of their ability to pay. During their first day of operation, Princeton served 39 patients, with 11 more admitted by the day's end without any operating capital.

Ten years later, in 1930, the Princeton Baptist Medical Center leased a second location previously owned by one of the original medical staff, Dr. Seale Harris, who originally built and began operating the residential hospital. After acquiring another facility, the Baptist Health System began rapidly expanding, undergoing multiple major hospital expansions and renovations. As the hospital infrastructure started to grow, its network was not far behind, expanding to meet the needs of its patients by adding new departments to expand critical services and conducting clinical research to stay abreast with the latest medical advancements.

During World War II, Princeton Baptist Medical Center became the first hospital in the region to have a United States Cadet Nurse Corps unit hosting over 100 students. By the 1960s, they continued building upon their esteemed reputation by performing pioneering brain surgery at Princeton Baptist Medical Center, becoming one of the first hospitals in the city to desegregate its wards, and introducing the use of automation in their laboratories.

With growth as a cornerstone, during the 1990s, additional hospitals joined Princeton Baptist to build one of the state's largest and most comprehensive networks of acute care hospitals and a true community of care; a network that was strengthened in 2015 through a partnership with Brookwood Medical Center to create the five-hospital system of Brookwood Baptist Health.

Upholding its ``high tech and high touch'' reputation, Princeton Baptist Medical Center has stayed at the forefront of technology, staffing the hospital with present-day pioneers bringing cutting-edge health care to the people of the north and central Alabama.

From its humble beginnings in 1922, Princeton Baptist Medical center has upheld its rich legacy of medical ministry by staying active in the community through education. Noted as a teaching hospital, Princeton Baptist Medical Center has several educational programs, becoming the first health care system in the United States to implement a pastoral education program and student internship. Now Princeton continues to provide these transformational opportunities by hosting multiple residency programs, creating the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing at Samford University and the Princeton Baptist Achievers Program, a mentoring/scholarship program for high school students interested in healthcare.

Working to provide the most efficient, cost-effective, and patient- friendly care, Princeton Baptist Medical Center now has a medical staff of more than 230 physicians, an additional 1,700 employees, and 505- licensed hospital beds. As the first hospital under Brookwood Baptist Health, Princeton Medical Center is a centerpiece to the state's largest health care system providing innovative and compassionate care to all patients.

On a personal note, my family and I have experienced Princeton Baptist Medical Center's compassionate care firsthand. Their doctors, nurses, administrators, and other health care professionals provided excellent care while giving us the support and resources we needed to get well. They were God-sent, and the Sewell family is eternally grateful.

On behalf of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 100th anniversary of Princeton Baptist Medical Center and its vital contributions to the medical profession and the health and well-being of the Birmingham community.

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