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Hospital’s role truly has changed
As Beaufort County Hospital nears its 50th birthday, officials are taking a look to see if it’s time to change the name.
That makes sense.
The name and the basic structure of the original wing are about the only things that haven’t changed since the hospital opened in 1950s.
“There are very few hospitals in the state that are still called county hospitals,” said Bill Bedsole, hospital administrator. “The words ‘county hospital’ almost have a negative connotation to them now. County hospitals are usually small, rural and struggling. So the board of directors has set up a committee to look into the possibility of changing our name.”
Some hospitals in recent years have opted for the title “medical center.”
“One day they were a hospital and the next day they were a medical center and nothing had changed except the name,” Bedsole said. “That sort of bothers me and I don’t think we’d do that. And who knows? We might decide not to change the name at all.”
Whatever you call it, Beaufort County Hospital is clearly more than just a county hospital.
“We’re a cancer center, a wellness center, an in-patient psychiatric center, we operate physician practices and have home-health services,” Bedsole said. “We’re a lot more than just a hospital.”
The Lifestyles Medical Fitness Center, which opened in 2001, has 1,400 members. In just the past few years, the radiology department was expanded and in-house MRI services were added. The labor and delivery room was renovated and two years later, the hospital computerized the radiography department.
The largest new project is the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center. It has grown from an outreach clinic that operated one day a week to a free-standing building that will soon have a linear accelerator to treat cancer. The Shepard Center treats nearly 1,200 patients a year and opened in early 2006. Just last month, the Shepard Center was one of a handful of facilities selected to get to choose which clinical trials it wants to be a part of.
“Now we get to be in the driver’s seat over what trials we opt to make available for our patients,” said Dr. Jennie Crews, the director of the cancer center.
That’s not all. A current $13 million expansion project is just the latest in a string of improvements designed to meet a growing need for services in the region. The 38,600-square-foot modernization and renovation project will include a new surgical department, visitors’ lobby and support space. It will also free up other areas of the hospital for renovation.
Times clearly have changed and the hospital has changed with them. When Bedsole joined the hospital in 1987, two-thirds of the business came from in-patient care. Today that figure is one-third. In 10 years, who knows what will happen?
“Back when it opened, a doctor would admit somebody simply because their family was going to be out of town for the weekend,” he said.
Bedsole is also keenly aware that BCH will never compete with Pitt Memorial Hospital when it comes to advanced care and that it shouldn’t try.
“You don’t want to do things that you shouldn’t do,” Bedsole said. “We have to understand what our niche is in the health care delivery system. Our role is a little bit larger than Pungo District Hospital and our role is smaller than Pitt Memorial’s.”
A name that better reflects the mission of Beaufort County Hospital is in order.
That makes sense.
The name and the basic structure of the original wing are about the only things that haven’t changed since the hospital opened in 1950s.
“There are very few hospitals in the state that are still called county hospitals,” said Bill Bedsole, hospital administrator. “The words ‘county hospital’ almost have a negative connotation to them now. County hospitals are usually small, rural and struggling. So the board of directors has set up a committee to look into the possibility of changing our name.”
Some hospitals in recent years have opted for the title “medical center.”
“One day they were a hospital and the next day they were a medical center and nothing had changed except the name,” Bedsole said. “That sort of bothers me and I don’t think we’d do that. And who knows? We might decide not to change the name at all.”
Whatever you call it, Beaufort County Hospital is clearly more than just a county hospital.
“We’re a cancer center, a wellness center, an in-patient psychiatric center, we operate physician practices and have home-health services,” Bedsole said. “We’re a lot more than just a hospital.”
The Lifestyles Medical Fitness Center, which opened in 2001, has 1,400 members. In just the past few years, the radiology department was expanded and in-house MRI services were added. The labor and delivery room was renovated and two years later, the hospital computerized the radiography department.
The largest new project is the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center. It has grown from an outreach clinic that operated one day a week to a free-standing building that will soon have a linear accelerator to treat cancer. The Shepard Center treats nearly 1,200 patients a year and opened in early 2006. Just last month, the Shepard Center was one of a handful of facilities selected to get to choose which clinical trials it wants to be a part of.
“Now we get to be in the driver’s seat over what trials we opt to make available for our patients,” said Dr. Jennie Crews, the director of the cancer center.
That’s not all. A current $13 million expansion project is just the latest in a string of improvements designed to meet a growing need for services in the region. The 38,600-square-foot modernization and renovation project will include a new surgical department, visitors’ lobby and support space. It will also free up other areas of the hospital for renovation.
Times clearly have changed and the hospital has changed with them. When Bedsole joined the hospital in 1987, two-thirds of the business came from in-patient care. Today that figure is one-third. In 10 years, who knows what will happen?
“Back when it opened, a doctor would admit somebody simply because their family was going to be out of town for the weekend,” he said.
Bedsole is also keenly aware that BCH will never compete with Pitt Memorial Hospital when it comes to advanced care and that it shouldn’t try.
“You don’t want to do things that you shouldn’t do,” Bedsole said. “We have to understand what our niche is in the health care delivery system. Our role is a little bit larger than Pungo District Hospital and our role is smaller than Pitt Memorial’s.”
A name that better reflects the mission of Beaufort County Hospital is in order.
