[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 71 (Friday, April 29, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN CELEBRATION OF THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF PRINCETON BAPTIST MEDICAL 
                        CENTER IN BIRMINGHAM, AL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 29, 2022

  Ms. SEWELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of Princeton Baptist Medical Center and Baptist Health 
System.
  Though the history of Princeton Baptist Medical Center begins in 
1922, the framework of the hospital, dates back to 1906 with the 
establishment of Birmingham Infirmary by Dr. William Christopher Gewin. 
Specializing in compassionate care in a Christian environment, 
Birmingham Infirmary was a pioneering medical center in the city of 
Birmingham, serving as the city's first training school for nurses.
  By 1922, the Birmingham Baptist Association assumed ownership of 
Birmingham Infirmary, making it the first time any local Baptist 
association owned a hospital. As a faith-based hospital, Birmingham 
Baptist Hospital, now Princeton Baptist Medical Center, built its 
organization on the premise that it would provide service to patients 
regardless of their ability to pay. During their first day of 
operation, Princeton served 39 patients, with 11 more admitted by the 
day's end without any operating capital.
  Ten years later, in 1930, the Princeton Baptist Medical Center leased 
a second location previously owned by one of the original medical 
staff, Dr. Seale Harris, who originally built and began operating the 
residential hospital. After acquiring another facility, the Baptist 
Health System began rapidly expanding, undergoing multiple major 
hospital expansions and renovations. As the hospital infrastructure 
started to grow, its network was not far behind, expanding to meet the 
needs of its patients by adding new departments to expand critical 
services and conducting clinical research to stay abreast with the 
latest medical advancements.
  During World War II, Princeton Baptist Medical Center became the 
first hospital in the region to have a United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
unit hosting over 100 students. By the 1960s, they continued building 
upon their esteemed reputation by performing pioneering brain surgery 
at Princeton Baptist Medical Center, becoming one of the first 
hospitals in the city to desegregate its wards, and introducing the use 
of automation in their laboratories.
  With growth as a cornerstone, during the 1990s, additional hospitals 
joined Princeton Baptist to build one of the state's largest and most 
comprehensive networks of acute care hospitals and a true community of 
care; a network that was strengthened in 2015 through a partnership 
with Brookwood Medical Center to create the five-hospital system of 
Brookwood Baptist Health.
  Upholding its ``high tech and high touch'' reputation, Princeton 
Baptist Medical Center has stayed at the forefront of technology, 
staffing the hospital with present-day pioneers bringing cutting-edge 
health care to the people of the north and central Alabama.
  From its humble beginnings in 1922, Princeton Baptist Medical center 
has upheld its rich legacy of medical ministry by staying active in the 
community through education. Noted as a teaching hospital, Princeton 
Baptist Medical Center has several educational programs, becoming the 
first health care system in the United States to implement a pastoral 
education program and student internship. Now Princeton continues to 
provide these transformational opportunities by hosting multiple 
residency programs, creating the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing at 
Samford University and the Princeton Baptist Achievers Program, a 
mentoring/scholarship program for high school students interested in 
healthcare.
  Working to provide the most efficient, cost-effective, and patient-
friendly care, Princeton Baptist Medical Center now has a medical staff 
of more than 230 physicians, an additional 1,700 employees, and 505-
licensed hospital beds. As the first hospital under Brookwood Baptist 
Health, Princeton Medical Center is a centerpiece to the state's 
largest health care system providing innovative and compassionate care 
to all patients.
  On a personal note, my family and I have experienced Princeton 
Baptist Medical Center's compassionate care firsthand. Their doctors, 
nurses, administrators, and other health care professionals provided 
excellent care while giving us the support and resources we needed to 
get well. They were God-sent, and the Sewell family is eternally 
grateful.
  On behalf of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in recognizing the 100th anniversary of Princeton 
Baptist Medical Center and its vital contributions to the medical 
profession and the health and well-being of the Birmingham community.

                          ____________________