Hendrick Health is a not-for-profit

healthcare Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

provider located in Abilene,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. It is affiliated with the

Baptist General Convention of Texas The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT), more commonly known as the Texas Baptists, is a Baptist Christian denomination in the U.S. state of Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist World Alliance. Tex ...

. It provides a comprehensive range of

services, including a medical center licensed for 564 beds. More than 3,000 employees make up the Hendrick team.

History

Hendrick Medical Center, originally West Texas Baptist Sanitarium, opened on September 15, 1924. The original facility had five floors, seventy-five beds, fireproof construction, steam heat, hot and cold running water in every room and three

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

s. The hospital was the result of the vision of Millard A. Jenkins, pastor of the First

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Church of Abilene. When a proposition to build a countywide hospital in Taylor County was voted down in 1921, Jenkins gathered a group of Abilene

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

members to help take on the dream of building a hospital. A sprawling field on the outskirts of north Abilene was donated by Clifton M. Caldwell and his wife as a location for the

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

. In the early 1930, the Great Depression put the hospital in financial trouble. The depression increased the need for charity care, while churches were too feeble to support the hospital. To help keep its doors open, the hospital accepted chickens, goats and black-eyed peas as payment for service. In 1936, the hospital was saved from

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

by West Texas ranchers Mr. and Mrs. T. G. Hendrick. They paid off the mortgage and gave additional money for the construction of a new wing. In recognition of their

generosity Generosity (also called largesse) is the virtue of being liberal in charity (practice), giving, often as gifts. Generosity is regarded as a virtue by various world religions and List of philosophies, philosophies and is often celebrated in cultur ...

, the hospital was renamed in honor of the Hendricks.

Facilities

In August 2008, Hendrick announced plans for an $80 million expansion project called Project 2010. The project is the largest expansion in the hospital's 84-year history and will re-shape the Hendrick campus through new facilities and extensive upgrades to a number of areas. Components of Project 2010 include: a new four-story patient tower with expanded support services, new surgery facilities, labor and delivery and Hendrick Children's Hospital; a new physician office building; a new Wound Care Center and Dialysis Unit; and a canopy-covered entrance and lobby.

Services

Hendrick offers numerous services to the Texas Midwest region, including: Hendrick Heartsaver Network, Hendrick Children's Hospital, Hendrick Cancer Center, Hendrick Center for Rehabilitation, Vera West Women's Center, The BirthPlace at Hendrick, Level III Trauma Center, Hendrick Health Club, Hendrick Hearing HealthCare, Hendrick Hospice Care, Hendrick HouseCalls, Hendrick League House, Hendrick Long Term Acute Care, Hendrick Medical Center Foundation, Hendrick Medical Supply, Hendrick Professional Pharmacy, Hendrick Radiology Center, Hendrick Regional Laboratory, Hendrick Balance Center, Hendrick Sleep Disorders Center, Hendrick Regional Blood Center, First Care Health Plans, Pastoral Care, Sellers Health Sciences Library and Skilled Nursing Facilities.

Awards

In 2007, Hendrick was one of only 12 organizations worldwide honored with the Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award, which honors Hendrick as one of the most engaged and productive workforces in the world. Hendrick has since earned the Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award every subsequent year. Hendrick also has received the Pathway to Excellence designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The designation recognizes Hendrick as creating a work environment where nurses can flourish and identifies it as one of the best places to work.

References

External links

Hendrick Health System
{{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1924 Organizations based in Abilene, Texas Hospitals in Texas Baptist hospitals networks in the United States 1924 establishments in Texas