At 1 p.m. on October 1, 1961, Carroll County General Hospital opened its doors to the community. Less than seven hours later, according to a local newspaper, the first baby was born and three emergency cases were handled.
At the time, it was a 50-bed hospital with six physicians and 125 employees. Today, we are a 193-bed hospital with nearly 2,200 employees and more than 400 physicians on our medical staff.
Every fall, Carroll Hospital staff continues to honor our hospital and our Associates’ milestone anniversaries during SPIRIT Week. This year is particularly special as Carroll Hospital celebrates 55 years of serving our friends, family and neighbors.
These SPIRIT Week festivities include an Associate Recognition dinner, when employees with milestone anniversaries in five-year increments are formally recognized by their peers and hospital leaders. This year, we celebrated five Associates with 40 years of service, five Associates with 35 years of service and six Associates with 30 years of service.
These tenured employees shared their fond memories of working at the hospital. One remembers arriving to “a small, one-floor community hospital” in 1976. A good number also marveled at the hospital’s growth and new technologies introduced over the years. A 35-year Associate said her most memorable day was when the hospital moved from paper to electronic files. And, for many, the friendship and camaraderie they’ve found with their co-workers is something they’ve cherished.
Want to learn more about our hospital’s history? We have a history display, installed during our 50th anniversary celebration, that features memorabilia, photographs and more. It’s right off our main lobby across from The Candy Striper Gift Shop. Take a peek the next time you’re in the area!
