Baptist Memorial Health Care System
Memphis, Tennessee
Jason Little, President and CEO
Baptist Memorial Health Care began as a 150-bed hospital in downtown Memphis in
1912. It was formed by the Southern Baptist Conventions of Tennessee, Mississippi and
Arkansas because they recognized a tremendous need for a health care facility in this part
of the country. The hospital’s early days were rough – at one point, it almost closed – but
eventually it grew to become the largest private hospital in the world. The hospital played
a very important role in the history of health care in the 20 th century, celebrating many
firsts along the way.
The Baptist Memorial Health Care system was created in 1981 to provide an integrated
health care delivery system offering a full continuum of care to communities throughout
the Mid-South. Today, a total of 14 hospitals in Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi; a
500-member physician group; and dozens of other entities are affiliated with Baptist.
Baptist Memorial Health Care’s staff chaplains are a part of the health care team.
Patients, family members or employees can ask that a chaplain be involved in spiritual or
emotional care. In our hospitals, our chaplains represent their own faith but deal with
spiritual issues that transcend denominational lines.
In August 2017, Baptist’s Pastoral Care Department will introduce the Rev. Jimmy Terry
Preaching Series: It’s All About Jesus, named in memory of a beloved member of
Baptist’s Board of Trustees and the founder and former pastor of Tabernacle Baptist
Church who passed away in June 2017. Each month, an ordained Baptist minister will
deliver an evangelical message to employees, physicians, patients and visitors at Baptist
Memphis, our flagship hospital. The message will be broadcast to all 21 of Baptist’s
hospitals in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.
In April 2017, Baptist became the first organization in the world to receive a 10-star
rating from Epic, one of the largest electronic health record providers in the nation. The
distinction means that Baptist has adopted more of Epic’s nearly 700 “Gold Star items”
than any other health care organization.
Last July, Baptist Memphis began a family medicine residency program in partnership
with Church Health, an organization that seeks to reclaim the Church’s biblical
commitment to care for our bodies and our spirits. Four residents began work in July, and
plans are to add four new residents in 2017 and 2018.
Baptist Union City again earned an “A” in the Leapfrog Group’s most recent Hospital
Safety Scores survey and was named a Premier Inc. QUEST Award Finalist.
In July 2017, The Kemmons Wilson Family Center for Good Grief, Milla’s House
opened. The facility, named in memory of 6-year-old Milla Gieselmann, will offer free
grief counseling to those who need help coping with the loss of a loved one.
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