TRIBUTE TO THE PHYSICIANS, CONSULTING PHYSICIANS AND EMPLOYEES OF STONEWALL JACKSON HOSPITAL
HON. BOB GOODLATTE OF VIRGINIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I recognize Stonewall Jackson Hospital and the over thirty physicians, more than 80 consulting physicians and 200 dedicated employees who provide the warm professionalism and the personal touch that patients have come to expect from their local hospital.
Stonewall Jackson Hospital is located in the historic city of Lexington, Virginia and they are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary in the same location.
Since this week is National Hospital and Healthcare week, I think it is only fitting to recognize the important contributions that Stonewall Jackson Hospital and their employees have made to our community.
Stonewall Jackson Hospital (SJH) is the primary healthcare provider, serving the communities of Lexington, Buena Vista and the surrounding Rockbridge County. Stonewall Jackson Hospital is a non-profit, critical access hospital dedicated to quality care and patient comfort.
Stonewall Jackson Hospital began in 1907 with the dedication of a group of local women-The United Daughters of the Confederacy-and the financial and logistical support of the local community.
Mary Anna Morrison Jackson, widow of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson wanted to start a nursing home for older ladies. This was an effort to preserve the only home "Stonewall" had ever owned; it was being considered for demolition and replacement with a community building. The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), looking for a fitting memorial for T.J. Jackson, approached Mrs. Jackson in 1901 about buying the home for use as a hospital. Mrs. Jackson consented and Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital officially opened in 1907. The UDC held a "shower" to provide linens and pantry items to the new hospital.
For the next fifty years the women of the UDC financed, supported, and managed the affairs of the hospital. It was a struggle for the hospital to survive. At this time, doctors made house calls. No one went to the hospital for treatment unless they were very seriously ill. Hospitals were thought to be for the insane and the desperately ill only. In the first five years of operation, Stonewall Jackson Hospital saw only 26 patients.
The increase of knowledge pertaining to infection and the growth of the community, eventually prompted doctors to centralize their services at the hospital, requiring patients to come to them, rather than the other way around.
Commitment and support through the last century allowed the hospital to grow, expand, and move to its current location. In 1954, Stonewall Jackson Hospital moved across town to its present site. An enhanced structure was completed on the same site in 2002.
The recently completed, state-of-the-art medical facility blends modern technology with comfort, cutting-edge equipment with small-town hospitality. Stonewall Jackson Hospital truly redefines healthcare in the community.