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Last updated on Friday, May 18, 2012
(LINTON) - On Friday, Greene County General Hospital will celebrate its 100th birthday with a community birthday party.
The Greene County Daily World reports the picnic-style celebration will be from 2-7 p.m. on the hospital lawn. Hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, cookies, and drinks will be served. Birthday cake will also be served.
The community is invited to attend this celebration.
Greene County General Hospital began as Freeman City Hospital, and was located on corner of 4th and NE A streets.
The county's first hospital was formed when Mr. and Mrs. Job Freeman donated their two-story, Neo-Jacobean style home to the city of Linton to be used as a city hospital.
On Feb. 7, 1928, the Linton City Council adopted an ordinance, together with the corresponding action by the Greene County Board of Commissioners, that provided for the transfer of the Freeman City Hospital to Greene County for the establishment of Freeman-Greene County Hospital. In 1929, it began operating as Freeman-Greene County General Hospital.
The original hospital contained 22 beds. Employees included two nurses, a cook, and a part-time janitor. The size and quality of the hospital helped make Linton the center of the coal mining boom in the early 1900s. It also helped make Linton a steadily developing community.
From 1912 to 1974, more than 14,000 babies were born at the old hospital. This number is substantial, especially when taking into consideration many births took place at home during the hospital's early years of operation. The life of every person in the area was involved in the old hospital in some way - whether it was through birth, illness or death.
The hospital's first major expansion was in 1936 when an annex was completed. The annex included kitchen/cafeteria facilities, heating plant, and 32 beds.
The second expansion project was completed in 1954. This project included the addition of a surgical suite, delivery suite, X-ray department, clinical laboratory, emergency department, and 16 beds.
Construction on the new hospital was started Dec. 10, 1970. Greene County General Hospital opened its doors in April 1974. It is located at 1185 N 1000 W, more commonly known as Lone Tree Road.
The new Greene County General Hospital included an intensive care unit for coronary and post-surgical patients as well as enlarged X-ray, laboratory, and therapy facilities.
In 1997, Greene County General Hospital's Ambulatory Infusion Center was opened. The infusion center - which offers patients a variety of infusion therapy options - is located across from the hospital in the Lone Tree Medical Center.
In 1999, the obstetric department was completely renovated offering new labor and delivery rooms as well as new recovery rooms.
In 2003, Greene County General Hospital obtained a critical access hospital status, which limits the number of inpatient beds to 25.
In February 2012, the hospital announced plans for a $6.5 million expansion/renovation which will add approximately 8,500 square feet of space to the facility. The project will primarily expand the emergency department; however, the main entrance, lab, radiology, pharmacy, and physical therapy will also be expanded and/or renovated.
In addition to inpatient care, the hospital currently offers a variety of services including: OB, emergency room, radiology, laboratory, intensive critical care, surgery, infusion services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, speech therapy, pharmacy, and nutrition services.
The hospital also offers an outpatient clinic. Specialty clinics offered through the outpatient clinic include: cardiology, surgery, oncology/hematology, neurology, pulmonary, and orthopedics.
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