Hendrick Health System
Encyclopedia
Hendrick Health System, located in Abilene
, Texas
, is a not-for-profit healthcare provider serving a 22-county region in the Texas Midwest.
Hendrick was the first hospital
to permanently serve the Texas Midwest when it opened in 1924, and today, it provides a comprehensive range of healthcare services, including a medical center licensed for 504 beds.
Approximately 2,600 employees make up the Hendrick team. In 2007, Hendrick was one of only 12 organizations worldwide honored with the Gallup Great Workplace Award, which honors Hendrick as one of the most engaged and productive workforces in the world. In 2008, Hendrick was one of only nine organizations to receive the award for a second year.
Hendrick also is one of only 65 Texas hospitals to receive 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.
s. The hospital was the result of the vision of Millard A. Jenkins, pastor of the First Baptist
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
members to help take on the dream of building a hospital. A sprawling 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) field on the outskirts of north Abilene was donated by Clifton M. Caldwell and his wife as a location for the hospital
.
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
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
, the hospital was renamed in honor of the Hendricks.
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.
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, is a not-for-profit healthcare provider serving a 22-county region in the Texas Midwest.
Hendrick was the first hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
to permanently serve the Texas Midwest when it opened in 1924, and today, it provides a comprehensive range of healthcare services, including a medical center licensed for 504 beds.
Approximately 2,600 employees make up the Hendrick team. In 2007, Hendrick was one of only 12 organizations worldwide honored with the Gallup Great Workplace Award, which honors Hendrick as one of the most engaged and productive workforces in the world. In 2008, Hendrick was one of only nine organizations to receive the award for a second year.
Hendrick also is one of only 65 Texas hospitals to receive 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.
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 elevatorElevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s. The hospital was the result of the vision of Millard A. Jenkins, pastor of the First Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
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
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
members to help take on the dream of building a hospital. A sprawling 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) field on the outskirts of north Abilene was donated by Clifton M. Caldwell and his wife as a location for the hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
.
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
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
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
Generosity is the habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return. It can involve offering time, assets or talents to aid someone in need...
, the hospital was renamed in honor of the Hendricks.
Facilities and 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, Meek Blood Center, First Care Health Plans, Pastoral Care, Sellers Health Sciences Library and Skilled Nursing Facilities.In August 2008, Hendrick announced plans for an $80 million expansion project called Project 2010
Project 2010
Project 2010 is a blueprint U.S. Soccer executives created in 1998 to ensure that the United States men's national team could become a legitimate threat to win the FIFA World Cup by the 2010 FIFA World Cup...
. 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.