Palmetto Health Baptist Columbia, which was founded in 1914, has a rich history based on a mission of Christian service. Much of Palmetto Health Baptist's success over the past 80 plus years is attributable to its strong and dedicated leadership. There have been only three presidents – W. M. Whiteside, William A. Boyce and Charles D. Beaman Jr. – a continuity of administration of which very few healthcare systems can boast.

Today Palmetto Health Baptist Columbia operates at a capacity of 489 acute care beds with some 2,000 full- and part-time employees, nearly 800 physicians and 500 volunteers. Voted the "Best Hospital" for ten consecutive years by the readers of The State, South Carolina's largest daily newspaper, Palmetto Baptist Columbia is regarded as one of the best equipped and up-to-date hospitals in the Southeast.

Did you know these "Quick Facts" about Palmetto Health Baptist?

	Palmetto Health Baptist has been voted "Best Hospital" for ten consecutive years by the readers of The State, South Carolina's largest daily newspaper.
	Palmetto Health Baptist Columbia is regarded as one of the best equipped and up-to-date hospitals in the Southeast.
	More than 225,000 patients from across the state and beyond are served here each year.
	1,850 employees and a medical staff of 800 provide a wide range of primary and specialty health care.

Number of Licensed Beds	489	Births	3,736
Number of Medical Staff	804	Number of Bassinets	40
Number of Employees	2.629	Number of Isolettes	20
Number of Registered Nurses	653	Surgical Procedures	15,565
Inpatient Admissions (including newborns)	24,544	Emergency Room Visits	33,754
HomeCare Visits	42,971	Outpatient Visits (includes ER, O/P & Clinics)	193,839

Palmetto Health Baptist's medical staff officers for 2006 are...

Chief of Staff—Dr. William J. Savoca
Vice Chief of Staff—Dr. Dalton Prickett
Secretary—Dr. Jeter P. Taylor, III

In the summer of 1914, the widow of Dr. Augustus B. Knowlton, a very respected physician, approached the South Carolina Baptist Convention about purchasing the small hospital her husband had established in downtown Columbia. Recognizing this as a chance to enter the healing ministry, the Baptists agreed. On September 1, 1914, they reopened the facility on Marion Street as South Carolina Hospital - two buildings that housed 70 beds and a school of nursing.

Four years later, the Reverend W. M. Whiteside was appointed the first full-time administrator of the hospital. For 40 years he would serve in this capacity, guiding the facility as it struggled through its leanest years. In 1923, the hospital began treating cancer patients when it opened the South Carolina Baptist Cancer Center. The facility was one of the first in the state to establish a state aid clinic for the treatment of those too poor to afford care.

During Reverend Whiteside's administration, the hospital expanded its services and built another building which added 32 beds, two delivery rooms and a six-room operating suite. A nursing dorm known as the Lily Hardin building was also constructed on the site where Dr. Knowlton's antebellum home once stood. The dormitory was named in honor of a woman who would serve as director of the hospital's school of nursing for nearly 40 years. More than 1,300 nurses graduated from the South Carolina Baptist Hospital Diploma School of Nursing before it closed in 1966.

South Carolina Baptist Hospital continued its tradition of educating individuals to work in health care. It opened a school of radiologic technology in 1954 and a school of medical technology in 1963. The hospital also began its first pastoral care training program.

Reverend Whiteside retired from the hospital in 1957 after nearly 40 years of service. William A. Boyce, who had worked at South Carolina Baptist Hospital for the past 10 years, was named his successor. With the acquisition of Easley Baptist Hospital by the South Carolina Baptist Convention, the two facilities became united as a corporation. Under Dr. Boyce's direction, the hospital continued to expand. More buildings were constructed, nursing units were updated and services added.

The first hospital-based hospice program in the state was opened in 1979, providing care for terminally ill individuals in their homes.

This is the year in which the hospital changed its name to Baptist Medical Center Columbia. Several years later Easley Baptist Hospital became known as Baptist Medical Center Easley. In 1986 the corporation added a third facility - Baptist Medical Center Harbison. During the same year, the Carolina Stone Center opened at Baptist Medical Center Columbia when the facility acquired the state's first lithotripter for the treatment of kidney stones with shock waves.

Dr. Boyce retired from the corporation in 1987. In the manner of Reverend Whiteside, he dedicated 40 years of his life to the healing ministry. Leadership changed hands again as Charles D. Beaman Jr. assumed the role of president and chief executive officer of South Carolina Baptist Hospitals Inc. Under his direction, the corporation continued to grow. Baptist Medical Center Columbia opened the Breast Health Center, a mammography center for women, and purchased the state's first mobile mammography van.

The hospital's Cancer Institute opens. Formerly known as the South Carolina Baptist Cancer Center, the facility relocated from the basement of the Williams building to new quarters across from the hospital on Taylor Street. The purchase of additional equipment and an expanded facility helped make the diagnosis and treatment of cancer more effective and convenient for patients and their families.

Recently, dramatic changes in the health care industry have forced many hospitals to change or be left behind. To remain competitive, health care systems must become more efficient, deliver high quality health care, and increase access and choice for patients.

To respond to these challenges, in February 1998, Baptist Healthcare Systems of South Carolina and Richland Memorial Hospital — a teaching hospital also located in Columbia, SC — formed Palmetto Health, a bold new, locally controlled alliance in Columbia, SC. Together, this new health care delivery system will provide access to care for all people, regardless of ability to pay. Experts estimate that more than $71 million will be saved over a five year period on operational and capital expenses as a result of the alliance.