At the turn of the 20th century, Baton Rouge was a sleepy small town nestled against the Mississippi
River. In those days, healthcare took place in a doctor’s office
or a patient’s home. But this was about to change thanks to one
doctor’s passion for healing and a community’s desire to make
their home a better place to live.
In the early 1900s, the Yazoo & Mississippi River Valley Railroad cut
through Baton Rouge on its daily trek to Memphis. One morning, a train
wreck in the downtown area injured several railroad workers. Dr. T.P.
Singletary, a Baton Rouge physician, took them to a nearby building and
treated their injuries. As he cared for them, he realized that he and
other physicians could treat patients more effectively if they were all
in one location.
By 1908, Dr. Singletary had built a three-story brick hospital he called
The Sanitarium, which would eventually become Baton Rouge General. The
Sanitarium opened with a small staff that included Dr. Singletary, a nurse,
a janitor and a cook. A rope elevator was used to transport patients from
floor to floor and Dr. Singletary paid his son a quarter to operate the elevator.
In 1910, Mrs. J.A. Caruthers, a community-minded woman, gathered a group
of local residents and formed the Charity Ward Association to treat patients
who could not afford medical care. Mrs. Caruthers was a staunch supporter
of the hospital and even took charge in 1912 when Dr. Singletary became
too ill to continue his practice.
The Great Depression and World War II
The following decades were busy years for the young hospital, which grew
along with the community. A particular point of pride was its School of
Nursing, which was established in 1912 and offered a three-year diploma
program. The young women trained here were invaluable for their healthcare
skills as men were being called away for military service during World War I.
In 1923, the Sanitarium’s name was officially changed to Baton Rouge
General Hospital, and by 1927, the Charity Ward Association had raised
enough funds to open a new 62-bed facility on Government Street. When
the Great Depression hit, many men who served on the hospital’s
board of directors were drawn to personal business matters, and it was
the women of the Charity Ward Association who stepped up and helped handle
the hospital’s business affairs.
Not long after the Depression ended, World War II erupted, and like hospitals
all over the country, Baton Rouge General again experienced a staff shortage
as the military called doctors, nurses, and other medical staff to serve
on many fronts. Baton Rouge General was able to continue operating thanks
to community and volunteer support. Annual “linen showers”
kept the hospital supplied with sheets. Local farmers sold produce to
the hospital to provide meals for patients. And volunteers like Farrow
Behrens helped transport patients home from the hospital. Ms. Behrens
actually used her war-time gasoline rations to provide this service.
In keeping with a tradition that remains today, Baton Rouge General was
fortunate to attract volunteers who donated valuable time and services
to the hospital. The Blue Birds and the Pink Ladies were two early groups
that evolved into the hospital’s Auxiliary, which was founded in
1952. Today, the Auxiliary includes 400 dedicated volunteers who contribute
more than 30,000 hours of service to the hospital each year.
Healthcare in the ‘40s and ‘50s focused on diseases such as
polio and tuberculosis. To address the need for isolation and specialized
care, the fourth floor of the hospital was set up as a polio unit, which
at the height of the epidemic, housed up to 75 patients. Polio sufferers
with chest paralysis were treated in “iron lungs” which helped
them breathe. When a lifesaving polio vaccine became available, nurses
and volunteers at Baton Rouge General administered it to thousands of
Baton Rouge residents.
The morning of January 30, 1950, was a big day for Baton Rouge General.
The small hospital on Government Street had outgrown its facility, and
more than 20,000 people had assembled at 3600 Florida Blvd. to see the
“new” Baton Rouge General Hospital open its doors. Many in
the crowd had donated their money and time to make this new hospital a
reality. That morning, 19 patients were transported by ambulance to the
250-bed facility, and the clinical staff got to work providing healthcare
services, including emergency care, in one of the finest hospitals in
the state of Louisiana.
Over the next 30 years, Baton Rouge General would come to be known as a
hospital of “firsts” in the areas of cardiology, cancer, burn
care and behavioral health, among others.
By the late 1950s, a young heart surgeon named Dr. Page Acree was making
huge strides in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. He even fashioned
a heart bypass system from a pump used in a soup factory and grafts that
his wife had sewn together. In 1958, Baton Rouge General performed the
city’s first open-heart surgery, and in 1961, the city’s first
pacemaker procedure. A decade later, the hospital performed Baton Rouge’s
first coronary artery bypass surgery, and in 1974, made national headlines
when Dr. Eugene Berry successfully implanted a pacemaker in 5-day-old
Amy Sciple. Today, the Womack Heart Center is nationally recognized as
a center of excellence for heart and vascular care.
In the 1970s, Baton Rouge had developed into a major hub of the state’s
industrial corridor, with chemical and petroleum plants dotting the outlying
towns and cities along the Mississippi River. The need for specialized
burn care became apparent and Baton Rouge General opened its Regional
Burn Center on July 14, 1970. It was one of the country’s first
regional burn centers, and within 24 hours of opening, an accident in
Pierre Part, La. brought 10 critically burned patients to the new unit.
Today, Baton Rouge General’s Regional Burn Center is the only facility
in a 300-mile radius designated as a regional burn center, treating about
1,000 patients each year.
The 1970s saw a sharp increase in drug abuse, especially among teenagers
and young adults. Substance abuse had moved from a social problem to a
legal issue, and ultimately, to a serious health concern. In 1976, Baton
Rouge General took the lead in addressing the problem and opened the state’s
first chemical dependency unit.
Approaching a New Millennium
To reflect its expanding services, the hospital’s name was changed
in 1981 to Baton Rouge General Medical Center. By now, the hospital was
offering state-of-the-art cancer care, and opened its Radiation Oncology
Center in 1986. In 1987, Baton Rouge General became the first hospital
to be approved by the American College of Surgeons as a community hospital
comprehensive cancer program. Part of its innovation stems from its involvement
in national research studies, clinical trials and cutting edge technology.
In 1991, Baton Rouge General’s medical education program expanded
when it partnered with Earl K. Long Medical Center to provide training
for residents in internal medicine, emergency medicine and general surgery.
In 1994, the hospital was named one of the country’s top 100 teaching
Modern Healthcare magazine.
By 1994, the hospital had outgrown its Mid City location and as the city
stretched further to the east, a second campus was needed. Baton Rouge
General opened its Bluebonnet facility, which quickly expanded to include
an Emergency Room, a Birth Center, an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Neonatal
Intensive Care unit (NICU), a Cancer Center and Heart Center.
A 21st Century Medical Community
Baton Rouge General has become a fully integrated medical community with
a physician network of more than 800, a hospital staff of more than 3,500,
and more than 20 clinics and medical facilities. In 2010, the hospital
became a satellite campus for Tulane University School of Medicine, further
cementing its reputation as a regional teaching hospital. Expansion continues
on both campuses to accommodate new services and programs.
Recent additions to the Bluebonnet campus include the Regional Burn Center
and a new Comprehensive Care Clinic, which offers multi-disciplinary care
for patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
The Mid City campus has become a hub of post-acute care, including hospice
care, skilled care, physical rehabilitation and behavioral health.
By incorporating our values and our vision, Baton Rouge General has been
the most trusted name in healthcare for this city for more than a century.
From its earliest days as a tiny patient ward over a downtown storefront,
to the medical community it is today, Baton Rouge General has created
a rich legacy of commitment and caring.
We continually strive to fulfill that legacy by keeping our community at
the heart of everything we do.