[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 18 (Monday, February 1, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E79-E80]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         LEXINGTON MEDICAL CENTER 50TH ANNIVERSARY PROCLAMATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 1, 2021

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, Lexington Medical Center 
celebrated its 50th anniversary in January 2021.
  From starting as a small community hospital in 1971 to becoming the 
anchor of a modern medical complex today, the hospital's mission is to 
provide quality health services that meet the needs of the community.
  In 1966, voters approved a referendum for the hospital, creating the 
biggest development project ever in Lexington County. A gracious 
donation of more than 22 acres of land from the Hulon family provided 
the site in West Columbia.
  On January 6, 1971, Lexington County Hospital, as it was first 
called, a four-story building a fraction of the size of the hospital 
today, opened. There were 125 beds and 250 employees.
  Over the years, Lexington Medical Center has emerged as a leader in 
health care. It grew steadily into a large health care organization 
with a wide variety of services.
  Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Lexington Medical Center pioneered 
community medical centers throughout Lexington County, created the 
Lexington Medical Center Foundation, began operating a skilled nursing 
facility and Alzheimer's care center, and established a physician 
network with a variety of medical specialties.
  In the early 2000s, Lexington Medical Center added a new tower to its 
campus along with medical office buildings.
  In 2012, Lexington Medical Center began providing a full range of 
heart services including open heart surgery and therapeutic cardiac 
catheterizations. Since then, Lexington Medical Center's heart program 
has established itself as a national leader in cardiac care, earning a 
three-star rating--the highest rating possible--from The Society of 
Thoracic Surgeons, and becoming one of only 30 hospitals in the United 
States to receive a HeartCARETM Center National Distinction 
of Excellence from the American College of Cardiology.
  In 2019, Lexington Medical Center completed the largest hospital 
expansion in South Carolina history when it opened its new patient care 
tower.
  Today, Lexington Medical Center has 557 beds, four community medical 
centers, 70 physician practices and more than 7,000 employees. The 
network also has an occupational health center and the largest skilled 
nursing facility in the Carolinas. Lexington Medical Center operates 
one of the busiest Emergency departments in South Carolina, treating 
nearly 90,000 patients each year. The hospital delivers approximately 
4,000 babies each year, performs more than 27,000 surgeries and has 
more than 1,000,000 physician office visits.
  Lexington Medical Center has received local and national awards for 
its outstanding patient care.
  As the only locally owned, independent hospital in the Midlands, 
Lexington Medical Center strives to offer the most outstanding care to 
our families, friends and neighbors now and in the future.

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