Baldwin Health hospital marked the completion of its latest major expansion project with the dedication of the Wayne T. Smith Atrium.

The atrium includes the Foley hospital’s main entrance and lobby area. The project was the latest stage in the facility’s recent $200-million expansion that included a five-story patient tower with surgical facilities, a dedicated women's and children's unit and additional inpatient beds to accommodate more patients. 

The hospital has a team of 1,200 employees and a network of medical clinics, Baldwin health serves the community through more than 409,000 patient encounters annually.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said that while the new construction is a great benefit for the community, the hospital staff members are one of the main reasons for the facility’s success.

“This facility reflects what our community is all about,” Hellmich said. “This hospital is one of the finest in the state of Alabama, in the area, and it's because of the people and the quality of care that makes it that way.”

He said the quality of health care is one of the factors that brings people to South Baldwin County.

Dr. Margaret Roley, chief executive officer of Baldwin Health, said the project was the result of many years of planning.

“We started this discussion about the tower and the hospital 10 years ago,” she said. “This is such an incredible, exciting day, to be able to pull all of those pieces together and present today.”

Roley said the work by the hospital’s staff and the members of the community who have supported the facility helped make the project possible. 

We will recognize those individuals who inspired us and strengthened us to make sure that the health care that we deliver in Baldwin County is exceptional,” Roley said. “For those who provide the care. Thank you. We appreciate what you do each and every day. You are the heartbeat of this organization. For many of you, you have practiced in a facility that was built to provide care decades ago, and through those struggles, you still managed to perform at the top level of the healthcare expectation.”

The atrium was named for Wayne T. Smith, chairman of the Board of Directors for Community Health Systems, which has operated the hospital since 2000. 

State Rep. Frances Holk-Jones of Foley, who is also chair of the Baldwin Health Board of Directors, presented legislative resolutions to Smith and Roley recognizing their contributions to healthcare in Baldwin County.

Clark Stewart, chair of the Baldwin County Healthcare Authority, said CHS and Smith have helped improve medical care in the area as the region has grown.

“I believe, and I think many others do, that what CHS has brought to and invested in this hospital over that period of time far exceeds anybody's wildest dreams,” Stewart said. “I could never have imagined this 25 years ago.”

“CHS has continued to invest heavily in our facility,” Stewart said. “We're standing right in the middle of that right now. It continues to be a great and rock solid relationship.”