The Lillian G. Carter Nursing Center, formerly known as the Wise Sanitarium in

Plains, Georgia Plains is a town in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. The population was 776 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area. Plains is best known as the birthplace and home of Jimmy Carter, the 39th president o ...

, United States, was a hospital. Currently, it is a nursing care facility, but was the birthplace of former

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

James Earl Carter Jr., who was born there on October 1, 1924 when his mother was working there as a registered nurse. Carter is the first US president to be born in a hospital.

History

Originally built in 1921 by Doctors Samuel, Thaddeus and Bowman Wise, children of early Plains settlers Dr. Burr T. Wise and Laura Addy Wise, the 60-bed sanitarium was one of the first small hospitals in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

to be recognized by the American College of Surgeons and the American Medical and Hospital Association. It also served as a training center for nurses. A separate building was attached to the sanitarium for the treatment of

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

s. In 1976, Wise Sanitarium was transformed into Lillian Carter Health and Rehabilitation, named after President Jimmy Carter's mother, Lillian Gordy Carter, who worked at the facility when she gave birth to him there. The facility is a 100-bed skilled nursing facility that provides skilled care including physical, occupational, and speech therapies. It is currently owned by Ethica Healthcare and CHSGA.

Current use

The center continues to be in use as a skilled nursing care facility as of March 2022.

Sources

{{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1921 Hospitals in Georgia (U.S. state) Buildings and structures in Sumter County, Georgia Jimmy Carter