WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center celebrates 125th year
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center President and CEO Steve Altmiller talks about the history and future of the medical center on Tuesday during a special commemoration of the hospital’s 125th anniversary. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center commemorated its 125th anniversary on Tuesday during a special ceremony in the South Tower with the hospital leadership, physicians, staff, community members and more. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Nancy Brooks, retired nurse and Director of the Physicians Leadership Academy at Camden Clark, talks Tuesday about all the changes she has seen at the hospital over the years during a special commemoration of the hospital’s 125th anniversary. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center President and CEO Steve Altmiller stands in front of a 85-foot wall mural connecting the hospital’s North and South Towers which details the hospital’s 125 years of history. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center President and CEO Steve Altmiller talks about the history and future of the medical center on Tuesday during a special commemoration of the hospital’s 125th anniversary. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center commemorated its 125th anniversary on Tuesday during a special ceremony in the South Tower with the hospital leadership, physicians, staff, community members and more. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Nancy Brooks, retired nurse and Director of the Physicians Leadership Academy at Camden Clark, talks Tuesday about all the changes she has seen at the hospital over the years during a special commemoration of the hospital’s 125th anniversary. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center President and CEO Steve Altmiller stands in front of a 85-foot wall mural connecting the hospital’s North and South Towers which details the hospital’s 125 years of history. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
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PARKERSBURG -- Continuing service to the healthcare needs of the community has been a part of the legacy of Camden Clark for 125 years.
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center commemorated its 125th anniversary on Tuesday during a special ceremony in the South Tower with the hospital leadership, physicians, staff, community members and more which was also held in observation of National Hospital Week.
"There is a rich history of healthcare and dedication to our community at Camden Clark," said Steve Altmiller, president and CEO. "There are traditions and roots here that grow strong, like we have, to be the foundation of our community for 125 years, and we look forward to continuing to provide state-of-the-art, patient-centered care to meet the needs of our communities for generations to come."
The year-long celebration commemorates the hospital's roots which go back to the old City Hospital, a 40-bed facility that opened in 1898 on what is now 13th Street and it also operated one of the first nursing schools in the state. In 1920, the hospital moved to the Camden mansion on Garfield Avenue, which was the home of former U.S. Senator and industrialist Johnson Camden and his wife, Anne. After her death in 1918, the family gave the mansion to the city of Parkersburg and with a bequest from Dr. Andrew Clark, the city added a wing and adapted the mansion into Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital.
"Their names continue to be synonymous with a commitment to provide area residents the highest standard of care and dedication to constantly be given back to our community," Altmiller said.
He detailed the history of Camden Clark as a small private hospital, a city hospital, a non-profit independent hospital, merging with St. Joseph's Hospital and became apart of the WVU Medicine system. The center now has 302 beds and over 2,300 employees.
"Our mission is to meet the healthcare needs of our community for a lifetime," Altmiller said of the over 200,000 people in the region they serve. The center was also named one of the top 250 hospitals in the U.S. by Healthgrades.
"We have always done this by looking forward," Altmiller said of innovations in service as well as looking for partnerships to be able to provide medical service. "We have not only survived, but thrived."
To mark the 125th Anniversary of the hospital, a life-sized 85-foot wall mural connecting the hospital's North and South Towers has been installed, which features events throughout Camden Clark's 125-year history, based on information found in the book, "A Legacy of Caring," written by Jean Young, RN in 1993 for Camden Clark's 95th anniversary.
Altmiller said the wall was "a work in progress" as he detailed upcoming plans for a new North Tower, growing partnerships with Wood County Schools and West Virginia University at Parkersburg to create new jobs and more.
"With the community's support, it will be really interesting to see what shows up on our wall … in another five to 10 years," he said.
Proclamations were read from U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and West Virginia Governor Jim Justice.
Camden Clark Vice President of Marketing, Development, and Strategic Initiatives MarJean Kennedy said the medical center has been a cornerstone in the community for so many years.
"The community has walked alongside and supported us with our growth and our transformation throughout the years," she said.
Nancy Brooks, retired nurse and Director of the Physicians Leadership Academy at Camden Clark, talked about her time at the hospital and the growth and changes she has seen over the years including a family member who was recently treated there and how impressed they were with the quality of the nursing staff and how knowledgeable they were.
"Camden Clark's legacy of caring continues on and on in an environment that is intertwined with technology," she said. "Caring for our patients' physical, social and spiritual needs remains the thread of the fabric of who we are today. I am so proud of that.
"WVU Medicine Camden Clark is well positioned for the years to come and I am so humbled to have been a part of that history."