A History of Service

 In early 1920, a consensus developed among community leaders in Granville County, North Carolina, that a general hospital was needed to serve the community.  Three local physicians, Dr. Sam Watkins, Dr. Nelson Thomas, and Dr. Jack Bullock decided to establish a private institution in the town of Oxford.   

On September 1, 1920, they purchased from Mr. E.H. Hicks, a large residence and several acres of grounds and farmland on Highway 15, approximately one and a half miles north of Oxford.  The property included a beautiful oak grove known as Brantwood, from which the hospital took its name. 

   The main building (or residence) was renovated to meet the hospital requirements and was named Brantwood Hospital.  A ten-room annex was connected to the back of the house by a long corridor and was used in the care of colored patients.  When the renovations were completed, Brantwood Hospital had a thirty-bed capacity and was equipped with an operating room, an x-ray room, laboratory and an elevator which was operated by the passenger pulling the cage up by a rope, hand over hand. 

Following the completion of Granville Hospital, Brantwood Hospital remained unoccupied until 1941 when it was renovated and opened as quarters for the hospital’s nurses.  On November 28, 1953, Brantwood Hospital was completely destroyed by fire.

 In addition to the main building and annex, the property purchased by the physicians contained two framed dwelling houses, a stable, a barn and a smoke house.  One house was occupied by the hospital’s first orderly, who also tended the livestock.  The second house served as the residence for the farmer who tended the farmland and vegetable garden.  Later, the latter house was converted to use as the first Nurses Home.  Until that time, the nurses and nursing students had to quarter themselves in what ever rooms of the annex and hospital that were not occupied by patients. 

 Brantwood School of Nursing, associated with Brantwood Hospital, graduated its first class of four nurses in 1923.  The nursing school continued until 1932 when the state passed a law requiring that a hospital have at least 100 beds to qualify as a nurses training center.  Due to the Depression and lack of funds, Brantwood Hospital was unable to expand to meet this criteria, Brantwood School of Nursing closed that year.

 In 1937, the citizens of Granville County raised $50,000 through a Granville County bond issue and $4,000 from Granville County taxes for the construction of a new hospital.  An additional $52,000 in federal funds was obtained for the project through a grant from the Public Works Administration.

 The County purchased the Brantwood Hospital and surrounding land for $15,000 from Dr. W.N. Thomas and Dr. W.L. Taylor.  Granville Hospital, as the new facility was named, was built directly in front of the old Brantwood Hospital at a cost of $107,000.

 Dr. W. Nelson Thomas was instrumental in supporting the construction of the new hospital and in obtaining the government grant.  He laid the first brick for the new structure, and under that brick he placed a 1936 New Deal dime.

 
The three-story brick facility was officially dedicated on May 12, 1938.  Granville Hospital had 9 private rooms, 6 with baths, 3 four-bed wards and 1 two-bed room.  Hospital nurses had quarters on the first floor.

Owned by Granville County, the hospital was incorporated as Granville Hospital, Inc., a nonprofit corporation.  It operated under the direction of a Board of Trustees appointed by the county commissioners.  Andrew Jamieson was the first president of the hospital corporation.

  In 1953, the interior of the Granville Hospital was renovated and a rear wing was added.  The hospital was expanded to 60 patient beds.  Ancillary services were rearranged and purchasing, radiology, and the emergency room were expanded.  The number of patient rooms increased on the second and third floors in the original hospital building.

 In 1964, another expansion of the hospital was completed with the addition of 16 more beds, bringing the total to 76 beds,  and a new wing on the west side of the hospital.  The expansion was financed with $300,000 obtained from Hill-Burton funds and $175,000 from a bond referendum approved by the people of Granville County.  The three-story new wing provided space for the kitchen, delivery room suite, and operating room suite.

 In 1966, Shaw Memorial Hospital, which served black patients, closed.  Granville Hospital became the sole provider of hospital services for Granville County.

 In 1969, 13 beds at Granville Hospital were renovated into a 9-bed maximum care unit.

 In 1974, a single story addition was made to the front of the hospital.  It provided a new lobby and administrative suite.

 In 1975, the number of patient beds was reduced from 76 to 66 beds due to conversions to all private rooms.

The Board of Trustees retained a management service, Carolinas Hospital and Health Services, to manage Granville Hospital.

 A major renovation and expansion of the hospital was undertaken in 1983.  The Granville Hospital Modernization Campaign began with a $2.8 million bond referendum that was passed in October 1983.  The hospital provided $1.4 million for the renovation out of income.  A five-year fundraising campaign was initiated by the hospital to raise an additional $1.5 million. 

   A three-story wing totaling 25,000 square feed was added to the east side of the hospital.  The first floor of the new wing provided for expansion of the radiology department and the emergency department.  The Second Floor of the new wing included the Maximum Care Unit with 6 beds, a waiting room, a private conference room and central sterile supply.  With the addition of the new wing, the name of Granville Hospital was changed to Granville Medical Center to reflect its expanded services.  Today, the medical center has 60 private patient rooms, 6 intensive care rooms and 8 nursery bassinets.

 In 1988, the medical center Board of Trustees voted to change management services of the hospital from SunHealth, which had provided management services since 1976, to Hospital Management Professionals (HMP).  A three-year contract was signed.  The contract with HMP was renewed in 1991 for another four years.

 In 1988, Granville Medical center added its own CT scanner to its radiology capabilities.  In 1989, labor and delivery was renovated into two birthing rooms (labor, delivery and recovery) with home-like furnishings and two observation rooms.  A large oxygen tank and new parking area were added in back of the medical center.  And, a state-of-the-art helipad for helicopter transport was constructed behind the medical center.

  A new logo and graphic symbol for Granville Medical Center was selected in 1989.  The logo is a cross coming out of a heart over the name “Granville Medical Center.”  The motto of the organization “Health care straight from the heart” is printed under the name.

 In 1990, Granville Medical Center bought 8 acres of land from the Oxford Orphanage.

 Construction of an expanded and renovated front parking area was completed in 1990.  The new parking lot significantly improved the front appearance of the medical center and increased the parking available in the front of the hospital from 40 spaces to 110 spaces.  New lighting and signage were also included in the work.  At this same time, the front lobby of the medical center was renovated by adding a new dining room to meet the needs of the employees and visitors for dining space.  The old cafeteria was renovated into an expanded serving line and vending machine area. 

 
In 1990, the medical center was awarded a Certificate of Need by the State of North Carolina to construct a nursing home.  Groundbreaking for the $2.1 million Brantwood Nursing and Retirement Center was held on February 8, 1991.  The name for the nursing home was selected in remembrance of the original Brantwood Hospital.  The nursing center was financed by the medical center.  It was completed in December of 1991. 

 Brantwood Nursing and Retirement Center is an 80-bed nursing facility with 40 beds for skilled nursing care, 20 beds for intermediate care and 20 retirement home or home for the aged beds.

 In 1990, Granville Medical Center served over 21,000 patients and had an operating budget of more than $18 million.  The medical center provided nearly $2 million in charity care.  Over 250 people are employed in some capacity by the medical center.

 During 1996 and 1997, a new Adult Day Care Program was developed and added to the campus of Granville Medical Center.  The Harold Sherman Adult Day Center was named and a modular building was completed in 1997.  The Adult Day Center was licensed to accommodate 22 participants. 

 In 1995, the first stage of renovations began when the second floor added a new 4 bed LDRP area and nursery.  This opened in February of 1998. The second phase of renovation consisted of moving administration, accounting information systems and the business offices to the second floor in the old labor and delivery area.  The third phase of construction consisted of building a new 7,500 square foot addition which became the new surgical suite.  The surgical suite included two operating rooms, one special procedures room, one endoscopy room, two-bay patient holding area, eight-bay surgical preparation area, four-bay post anesthesia care unit (PACU), central supply, sterile storage, equipment storage, lockers, and offices.

 Radiology and nuclear medicine were also included in the square footage for the first floor expansion. The hospital’s existing CT scanner was relocated within the addition to centralize the functionality of the department.

 Outpatient Diagnostic Services was conveniently placed adjacent to the radiology department on the first floor expansion. This provided convenience and access for preoperative patients and out patients also requiring radiology procedures. The renovation project created a distinct physical location for the hospital’s existing outpatient diagnostic services, including phlebotomy, EKG (stress testing), and echocardiograms. 

The Physical Therapy department at Granville Medical Center was relocated to renovated space on the first floor, immediately adjacent to the main entrance of the hospital.  The Admissions department was located in the front of the building along with 3 new waiting areas, new gift shop, and new mall area.

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