Bass Hospital Serving the Community for 98 Years
9-28-2008

Next month, INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center will mark its 98th anniversary.  The hospital is proud of its distinction of having served the Enid area longer than any other general hospital,  and as the only non-profit, faith-based hospital in the community. Below is a brief history of the hospital.

On October 5, 1910, the dream of several Enid citizens became a reality. In a nine-room rented house that was furnished sparingly, Enid’s first hospital was born. Founded by Dr. F.A. Hudson, the hospital served the community and northwest Oklahoma from a residence located at 225 W. Oak.  In 1911 the hospital was relocated to 228 W. Pine. 180 patients were served that year.  The hospital’s firs superintendent was Miss Rose Dunning, who was a registered nurse.  She worked alongside Dr. Hudson caring for patients but also, cleaning rooms, and preparing meals.

In 1914, after another move to a larger house, the hospital was incorporated as Enid General Hospital and Training School for Nurses and the following year, the hospital purchased lots at Monroe and West Market (now Garriott) and built the first permanent fire-proof building at a cost of approximately $170,000.  Expansions followed in 1919 and another one in 1925, which doubled the hospital’s bed capacity.

The nursing school operated from 1914-1970s.   Miss Dunning was the school’s first instructor, supervisor and recruiter.  The school was an important part of the hospital, keeping the facility supplied with trained nurses.  In addition to classroom instruction and on-the-job training, students were also given room and board.  The residence dormitory for the nursing students was located across the street from the hospital in the building which is now home to the YWCA.

The great depression, followed by WWI and WWII kept any major expansions from taking place until the early 1950s. The hospital became affiliated with the Baptist General Convention in 1953.   By 1956, the hospital’s patient load had increased to 4,000 patients per year, and more than $750,000 was raised to update the 40-year-old building

Another major expansion, and name change took place in 1968 when Harry W. Bass donated $200,000 for a 120-bed addition, which wrapped around a great deal of the old hospital. The new addition was dedicated in 1970.

Between 1975 and 1985, the Medical Plaza Building was built and expanded and virtually every department of the hospital was upgraded or improved .

In 1989 another significant improvement project took place. A fourth floor was added for surgery and ambulatory care and the front entrance of the hospital was relocated from east to south.

The hospital became part of the newly formed INTEGRIS Health corporation in 1994.

In 1996, INTEGRIS Bass purchased the former Enid Regional Hospital at 401 S. Third. The building, referred to as the INTEGRIS Bass Pavilion, now houses the hospital’s specialty hospital.  One year later, the hospital took over operations at its Meadowlake Campus.  The facility is now home to INTEGRIS Bass Behavioral Health, serving children and adolescents.

The hospital began open-heart surgery in 2001, and to date, has performed more than 500 of these procedures.

The hospital completed an $8.2 million dollar expansion project in 2002 that tripled the size of the emergency department and expanded the Women’s Services Center. 

Recent improvements include an upgrade of the hospital’s Radiology equipment and a new Linear Accelerator. 

Hospital Offering Wi-Fi Accessibility
9-7-2008

Wireless Internet access has gained popularity as an amenity at hotels, shopping malls and coffee shops, but INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center is now promoting the availability of free WiFi service for patients and visitors.

Anyone with access to a laptop computer can now access the internet, exchange emails, play video games and engage in other activities which help ease the inconvenience of a hospital stay, thanks to the technology.

By offering Wi-Fi accessibility, patients and visitors can keep up with family or work via the Internet.  Connectivity is available throughout the hospital including patient rooms and waiting areas.  INTEGRIS Bass’s free internet connection works with any Wi-Fi enabled device such as a laptop computer, Pocket PC or web-enabled cell phone. 

Shelli Struble, Director of Information Services said this technology is just another example of the hospital’s commitment to customer service.

“In today’s technological world,  a hospitalization can interfere with one’s ability to stay connected to work, or home,  or friends and family.  We know that people want to travel with their laptops, cell phones etc.  By offering this convenience to our patients and visitors, we are hopefully making their experience here a more pleasant one.”