History
In 1912, an ordinary Sunday School lesson anchored the pivotal foundation of an extraordinary gift that provides continuous blessings to the City of Ashland nearly 100 years later. On that historical day, local philanthropists Jesse Lewis (J.L.) Clark and Mary Clark embraced the love and compassion inherent in the story of the Good Samaritan, and vowed to build "a hospital where no sick person would ever be refused care." In honor of its inception, the state-of-the-art facility was named Samaritan Hospital, and officially gifted to the City of Ashland.
Now known as Samaritan Regional Health System (SRHS), only by drawing strength from our roots have we been able to extend our branches. Our core commitment remains true to the vision of the Clark's, which is a daily blessing we never take for granted. Whether it's hospitality extended to patients and visitors, or gentle compassion demonstrated in our practice of medicine, our values of compassion and respect, integrity, and service excellence are as constant as our founder's.
"More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities...all will be lost." - Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)
Our Current Status
While we are encouraged by the latest medical advances, and even future ground-breaking achievements in our field, our core source of comfort and care will always rest with our most precious asset...our human resources.
Yes, we take a proactive approach to care, constantly evaluating growth opportunities while investing in advanced medicine and technology. But our greatest investment still remains our employees, physicians, volunteers, community leaders, board members and, most importantly, well educated patients.
Our diagnostic equipment includes an MRI, an advanced nuclear medicine camera, a 32-slice (multislice) CT scanner, and a low-risk adult heart catheterization lab. In 2007, we embarked on our largest and most extensive Capital Campaign since the early 1970's. We celebrated 2009 with the completion of the first phase of our aggressive remodeling vision, opening our new, patient focused Emergency Department that is now the envy of others, and equipped to care for some 40,000 patients a year, compared to the old capacity of 28,000.
With our current project, we hope to directly impact the nearly 40% of local birthing mothers who feel they need to travel elsewhere to realize their dream birthing experience. The 25 year old Birthing and Women's Unit will feature new LDRP rooms, which stand for labor, delivery, recovery and post partum. The larger rooms encompass a holistic approach to the birthing experience, allowing the entire family to celebrate the miracle of life.
Just as we improve upon the original, 1912 building, which is no longer recognizable behind the sprawling expansions over the decades, we continue to challenge our highly qualified personnel to rise above mediocre, to embrace change and to set about making a difference...TODAY.
Perhaps the light that shines so bright in each member of SRHS's team is what makes us special. We are more than bricks and mortar. We are a unified team surrounding you, sustaining you, in you and your family's time of need, whether it be a time of sadness or celebration.
