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Atrium Medical Center Foundation gala launches hospital’s 100th anniversary celebration

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (September 24, 2016) – More than 1,000 guests on Saturday attended Atrium Medical Center Foundation’s fourth triennial gala, called Memories Are Made of This, which helped kick-off the Middletown hospital’s year-long 100th anniversary celebration. 

Next year, 2017, will mark 100 years of the founding of the Middletown hospital now known as Atrium Medical Center. Stayed tuned for more information and events commemorating the hospital’s legacy throughout 2017.

“When I think about all the lives our hospital has touched in the last 100 years, I’m in awe—thousands of babies born, illnesses treated and emergencies tended to. Our hospital is woven tightly into the fabric of our community because our work is so personal,” said Carol Turner, president and chief executive officer of Atrium Medical Center. “In my 36 years here, a lot has changed in health care, but one thing has remained constant: our personal and caring connection to our patients and their loved ones.”

Premier Health and Atrium Medical Center executives; board members; gala co-chairs Joseph and Carol Bidwell; donors; and regional community leaders were at the gala, held at Sharonville Convention Center.

In addition to celebrating the hospital’s history, the gala also publicly launched the Foundation’s fundraising campaign for a new geriatric emergency unit within Atrium’s Emergency Trauma Center. All proceeds from the gala including a silent auction will help fund the project.

“We grew up here, our friends are here, we support the hospital as far as Carol works at the hospital and I’ve been on the board of directors as well as my father,” said Joseph Bidwell, executive vice president of Magnode Corp. Carol Bidwell is senior physician recruiter for Atrium Medical Center. 

“These funds are going to be used for the geriatric emergency unit at Atrium. Everybody has a parent. Everybody has an older sister or brother that at some point will use this wonderful gift that we all can give to the community,” he said.

Most traditional emergency departments aren’t designed with seniors in mind. Older adults might find an emergency department visit a confusing, uncomfortable or overwhelming experience.

Atrium Medical Center Foundation has set a goal to raise at least $500,000 by January 2017 for renovations to create an eight-bed, senior-friendly geriatric unit within Atrium Medical Center’s Emergency Trauma Center. A stretch goal would be approximately $750,000. The unit will feature soothing colors, reduced noise levels and safety features including non-skid floors.

Thanks to the generosity of Atrium and Premier Health employees, medical staff, lead donors-- and now gala supporters--progress has already been made towards the fundraising effort.

“We’re very grateful for the support we’ve already received and if you’d like to contribute, please do so by contacting us at 513-420-5144 or email foundation@atriummedcenter.org,” said Michael Stautberg, president of Atrium Medical Center Foundation.

The 2016 gala also honored the hospital’s founding families and physicians and recognized a contemporary physician. 

Three Middletown families played a historic role in establishing a Middletown hospital and ensuring it continues to provide quality care and services to the Cincinnati-Dayton region. These 2016 Community Heroes are the Verity family, the Gardner family and the Harvey family. 

Before building a second Middletown steel plant, George M. Verity, founder of the American Rolling Mill Company, in the early 1900s challenged fellow business and city leaders in Middletown to make quality-of-life improvements to fulfill the city’s potential. Those improvements included a public hospital. 

The nonprofit Middletown Hospital Association was started in 1913 and a 28-bed hospital opened in Middletown in 1917. 

George Harvey, co-founder of the Gardner-Harvey Paper Company, was also a member of the Middletown Hospital Association and donated land to build the hospital. Son Arthur Harvey started a foundation in the 1960s and the Harvey family’s legacy of supporting the hospital lives on 100 years later with great-granddaughter Sarah Kaup. Kaup is a member of the Foundation’s current board of directors and administrator of the Arthur Harvey Foundation, which has given generously to hospital campaigns. 

Colin Gardner Sr., one of George Harvey’s business partners, was also a strong believer in the early 1900s “Greater Middletown” initiative and a staunch supporter of the city’s new hospital at the time. In fact, his son Colin Jr. would become a member of the first board of trustees of Middletown Hospital Association and later chair the board. The Gardner family’s support of Atrium continues to this day.

Middletown Historical Society assisted with research for the hospital’s centennial.

The 2016 Physician Heroes honored at the Memories Are Made of This gala included founding physicians Dr. Mabel Edith Gardner; Dr. David F. Gerber; and Dr. E.O. Bauer.

Atrium Medical center’s medical staff selected Dr. W. Thomas Scott as this year’s contemporary Physician Hero. Dr. Scott came to Butler County in 1966 to found Middletown Medical Group along with partners. Over the years he became a beloved community physician with a reputation for excellence and compassion. While Dr. Scott retired in 2003, he remains active in the community.

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