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From my Oklahoma City Postcard Collection...

Baptist Medical Center opened Easter Sunday , 1959. I would guess this photo is from the mid '60s. It opened as a 200 bed hospital and is now 508 beds.

At the time this opened, this was on the outskirts of the city!

From the Integris website:

In 1959 a 200 bed hospital opened on a 62 acre tract in northwest Oklahoma City.

“When I first came to Oklahoma, Baptist was just the place up on the hill with six floors,” said Betty Hudson, RN, retired after 30 years at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center.

“And at that time there wasn’t a lot of transportation out to this far area of the city,” said Sharon Williams, RN, retired after 43 years at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center. “So, I took a city bus and 50th street was as far as it came.”

Half a century later that “hospital on a hill” now stands as the cornerstone for a comprehensive medical campus that includes physician buildings, specialty institutes and a fitness center.

“The advancements in medical technology have just been fantastic,” said Williams.

“All the specialty areas that offer the very best; Baptist has always been a step ahead of the rest,” said Hudson.

“But I feel one thing that has stayed the same is the spirit of nursing and the pride that we take in serving our patients and our community,” added Williams.

"As INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center celebrates its 50th year serving the citizens of central Oklahoma its mission remains the same as day one, to improve the health of the people and communities we serve, and to do that through the delivery of outstanding clinical care and service excellence,” shared Chris Hammes, president, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center.

To meet that goal, INTEGRIS has seen many expansions and advancements through the years. It’s now home to eight Centers of Excellence and has led the way with many Oklahoma firsts including participation in the nation’s first six-way, multi-hospital, domino kidney transplant.

“We hope to have many additional patient firsts here for the benefit of the community and the state as well,” added Hammes.

Today at 500 beds strong and growing, the facility remains more committed than ever to providing superior medical services.

“If the original administrator and chief of staff were alive today I think they would both definitely be very proud,” said Hammes.

via Posterize

Originally posted at Oklahoma City Real Estate Blog

Submitted by OKCHomeSeller's Posterous via email from http://okchomeseller.posterous.com/71144679