Dosher Memorial Hospital
Encyclopedia
Non-profit hospital
A non-profit hospital, or not-for-profit hospital, is a hospital which is organized as a non-profit corporation. Based on their charitable purpose and most often affiliated with a religious denomination they are a traditional means of delivering medical care in the United States...
, community hospital
Community hospital
A Community hospital can be purely a nominal designation or have a more specific meaning. Specific mention of Community hospitals is encountered in the following countries:-- Thailand :...
located in Southport, North Carolina
Southport, North Carolina
Southport is a city in Brunswick County, North Carolina, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. It is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The hospital serves the township of Smithville (Southport, Bald Head Island, Caswell Beach, Oak Island
Oak Island, North Carolina
Oak Island, North Carolina is a seaside town located mostly on the barrier island of Oak Island , in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. A small part of the town extends onto the mainland north of the island's bridge. The population was 6,571 at the 2000 census...
, and The Players Club at St. James
St. James, North Carolina
St. James is a town in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 804 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:St...
) and surrounding communities of Brunswick County
Brunswick County, North Carolina
-External links:*******....
. Opened on June 2, 1930 as Brunswick County Hospital, the hospital changed its name in 1939 to J. Arthur Dosher Memorial Hospital to honor its chief surgeon, Dr. Julius Arthur Dosher.
Established as a township owned hospital under Article 2 of the NC General § 131-4, Dosher Memorial Hospital is overseen by a publicly elected Board of Trustees. The hospital is licensed for 36 acute and 64 skilled nursing beds, and focuses on outpatient surgeries and procedures. Dosher Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
The Joint Commission , formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations , is a United States-based not-for-profit organization that accredits over 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States...
.
Hospital tax
In 1976, Smithville Township voted 1,866 For and 344 Against to create a hospital tax district and to levy a 30-year tax of 4¢ per $100 assessed property valuation. This maneuver was intended to protect the hospital from hostile decisions by the county to close Dosher and build a new hospital in Supply, North CarolinaSupply, North Carolina
Supply is a small unincorporated community in Brunswick County, North Carolina, USA located around the intersection of US 17 and NC 211 . Its name is derived from the use of the Lockwoods Folly River as a trade route in the 18th and 19th centuries...
. The election was challenged by opponents of the hospital but was allowed to stand by the North Carolina Supreme Court
North Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...
.
In July 1978, it was revealed that another election had to be held in order to make changes in the bond
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
issue. The people of Smithville Township were asked to vote once more and passed a new $3.2 million bond issue with 1,790 in favor and 79 opposed.
The hospital tax expired in 2000 and the community was asked to renew the tax of 4¢ per $100 valuation for capital improvements, renovation, and new construction. The community voted in favor of the tax.
Dr. Julius Arthur Dosher
In 1919 Dr. Dosher was named Acting Assistant Surgeon in the United States Public Health Service
United States Public Health Service
The Public Health Service Act of 1944 structured the United States Public Health Service as the primary division of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare , which later became the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The PHS comprises all Agency Divisions of Health and...
and served in Southport at the Quarantine Station, a position he held until he retired in 1937. Located on pilings in the Cape Fear on the shore of Bay Street across from the Brunswick Inn, the Quarantine Station was a shelter used for screening sailors aboard incoming ships. Dr. Dosher and his nurse treated sick sailors and disinfected the men and their vessels.
In 1936 Dr. Dosher was elected to the American College of Physicians and Surgeons, an honor comparable to the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
in the Army.
On January 10, 1939 Dr. Dosher died at the age of 60 from complications related to pulmonary tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
that he acquired in 1937.