Parkridge East Hospital History: Who We Are

The same driving commitment to community care that led to the founding of Parkridge East Hospital in 1974 is still at work today, more than 30 years later.

Founding fathers of the 128-bed full service hospital were local politician Gene Drakeford and Bill Rowe, M.D., two men with a clear vision of how to serve their community and how to get things done. It took two groundbreaking ceremonies to get the construction underway. The first, held in April 1969, was followed by a political dispute that led to delays and a second groundbreaking ceremony in 1972.

The facility opened in 1974 as part of the Humana network of 52 hospitals in the southeast and southwest. Built with a $3.6 million bond issue, the new hospital opened with 100 employees and helped deliver 45 babies in its first month.

In the early 1980s, Parkridge East Hospital added a two-story patient tower. Three years later, three labor and delivery suites were added, along with CT scanning services. Laboratory and emergency services were expanded.

In 1984, a physician office building was added and by 1992, the Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery was renovated and expanded. In 1999, an $8 million expansion and renovation included a new Emergency Care Center and a revamped and expanded Women's Center.
Today, the hospital's reputation as a community resource continues to grow even stronger.