‘DOING IT RIGHT’: TRMC celebrates 50 years in community
Published 3:00 am Thursday, June 27, 2019
Wednesday afternoon, a large gathering of those who have a history with Troy Regional Medical Center celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the hospital that opened its doors as Edge Memorial Hospital on June 10, 1969.
Karen Herring, TRMC director of marketing, said preparing for the hospital’s 50th Anniversary Celebration had been an excitedly busy time for those who call TRMC a second home.
“Today, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of TRMC but the celebration will continue into the year as we celebrate the past, present and future of our hospital,” Herring said.
Those who came to celebrate were former and present hospital employees, city and county officials and appreciative townspeople.
Among those in attendance were Rosa Lee Boswell, Betty King and Jimmy Law, who were among the employees who “opened the doors” of Edge Memorial Hospital to a new continuum of care for the people of Troy and the surrounding area.
Mary Williams, Pike Medical Foundation, said Boswell, King and Law helped moved Edge and Beard hospitals from their locations in downtown Troy to the hospital’s present location. Dr. O.N. Edge had donated his hospital to the City of Troy in order for the city to be eligible for Hill-Burton funding for a new hospital.
“It had been Dr. Edge’s dream to have a hospital for patients and also a place for the training of nurses,” Williams said. “Troy Regional Medical Center came from its humble beginnings to the marvelous facility it is today.”
Williams said there is no service more important than hospital care and Troy Regional Medical Center is committed to that quality of care. “Remarkable people; remarkable care.”
Amy Minor, chief clinical officer, focused on the quality of care provided at TRMC. She said the nurses at TRMC follow in the footsteps of those like “Miss Rosa Lee and Miss Betty who taught us nurses how to ‘do it right.’”
Minor said the early nurses at Edge Memorial Hospital left a legacy of knowledge and experience.
“Those nurses paved a path for us that no longer exists,” she said. “They made sure that we, as nurses, ‘did it right.’ They knew how to listen; they dried tears. They provided us with a legacy of caring.”
Dr. Timothy Eakes came to Edge Memorial three years after the hospital opened.
He continues to be amazed at the changes that have been made in medical care over the years.
“So many changes,” he said. “From x-ray to CT scans, ultrasounds and bone studies. A major change is from film to digital.”
Eakes spoke from personal experience as a patient at TRMC, once as the result of a tree stand accident.
“I work at TRMC and I use it,” he said. “And the services I received here were second to none.”
Dr. Elizabeth Dawson, chief of staff, said the hospital’s staff is the cornerstone of health-care delivery. The staff strives on the cusp of proven, advanced technology that is available in order to provide the highest quality medical care and to extend coordination of care.
Ronnie Dean, Chief Executive Officer, said he could not imagine what it was like 50 years ago, when the hospital first moved to it new location. But, then as now, the hospital was committed to providing quality care 24-7.
Dean compared today’s hospital care to a giant Sequoia tree, 300 feet in height and 30 feet in diameter. The tree started from a tiny seed and that’s how TRMC began, from the planting of a tiny seed. And, the seeds that are being sown today, will provide for the hospital’s growth for the next 50 years.
Dean said a hospital is often not justly appreciated until it’s needed. But when, it’s needed, TRMC meets that need because “We get it right and we love this place.”
Sherrill Crowe, THHCA board chair, said he could not say enough about the quality of care provided by the physicians, nurses and staff at TRMC.
“I’ve served on the board for 36 years and it has been a privilege to serve,” he said. “We are fortune to have a hospital here at home that provides high quality medical care to the people of Troy and surrounding counties.”
Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said when the doors of Edge Memorial Hospital opened on June 10, 1969, they stayed open because of the support of the community.
“People realize the hospital is an important place,” Reeves said. “There have been a lot of struggles but we are head and shoulders above a lot of people. TRMC does get it right.”
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