The original 35-bed City Hospital was designed by Mr. R. E. Turbeville, a local architect, and constructed in 1926. It was built of red brick, hollow tile, and Warren County stone at the cost of $130,000. The interior walls were made of gypsum tiles, which at that time were considered fireproof, germ-proof, and soundproof. The hill on which the facility was built served as the College Hill Fort during the Civil War in 1861 when Bowling Green was named the Capitol of the Confederacy. Prior to construction of the City Hospital, the St. Joseph Hospital, established in 1905 by Dr. Joseph N. McCormack, served the health needs of the Warren County area. This private institution ceased operations in 1920. The city was then served by the Blackburn Hospital until 1926 when the City Hospital was completed. The landscaping for the City Hospital was done by Richmond Gloede of Evanston, Ill. as a memorial to his son who died in an auto accident on Hwy 31W. Little remains of the landscaped gardens that included a waterfall at the back of the reservoir on High Street.

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City Hospital had outgrown its facilities making it difficult to provide the best healthcare to the community. Patients were cared for in the halls. A city ordinance was passed for expansion of the building to accommodate 100-125 patients. A land transaction was granted to Warren County, and the hospital became known as the Bowling Green-Warren County Hospital.

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On September 10, 1952, the dedication and cornerstone ceremonies for the addition were held with approximately 1,800 people attending. Items sealed in the cornerstone include a bronze box containing a Bible, pictures, and legal documents leading up to the institution’s expansion.

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Hospital Administrator Charles Clark advised that the facility was again in need of expansion. In 1962, ground was broken and construction began on lobby and office spaces. Construction was completed in 1964.

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• The hospital again required expansion. The Commission began the process of making application for Hillburton funds and a federal grant in the amount of $1,500,000 for construction.

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• Local funeral directors discontinued the provision of ambulance services. The hospital began operation of this service in conjunction with the city and county.

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• Another expansion included additional office space and 80 long-term care beds. The laboratory and business office were enlarged and a physical therapy department was added. The total expansion involved 32,000 square feet.

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• On April 28, 1975, Mr. John C. Desmarais was named Hospital Administrator. Soon after, recommendations were made to construct a new facility to fulfill the healthcare needs of the region. The Certificate of Need and Licensure Board issued a Certificate of Need for a 298-bed replacement facility. In 1977, twenty-one acres were purchased on High Street to construct the facility.

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Through re-organization, the hospital's name was changed to The Medical Center at Bowling Green.

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On March 8, the hospital moved from the old facility on Reservoir Hill to the newly constructed facility on Park Street.

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Corporate reorganization took place and Commonwealth Health Corporation was formed as a non-profit holding company for The Medical Center and other businesses serving the community. The Medical Center continued to grow and expand it services. The facility became the largest healthcare facility in Southcentral Kentucky.

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• Center Care Health Benefit Programs was established as a managed care network providing a full spectrum of products and services designed to support the distribution and delivery of healthcare services.
• Urgentcare facilities were opened to provide no-appointment health care services. These are currently located in Allen, Butler, Simpson, and Warren counties.

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• Indicative of the growth of The Medical Center was the acquisition of the Allen County War Memorial Hospital and the Hillview Manor Nursing Home located in Scottsville, Kentucky. Three years later, The Medical Center at Scottsville and the Cal Turner Extended Care Pavilion opened a new 80,000 square foot facility providing Allen County with 105 long-term care and 52 acute care beds.

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• The Commonwealth Health Free Clinic was established to provide medical care to an often neglected group, the working poor. The Clinic provides basic medical and dental diagnostic and treatment services for those who work but do not have medical insurance.

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• Guardian Angel Children’s Services was established to ensure healthcare needs are met for children age six and under.
• Women’s Health Specialists (formerly Bowling Green Women’s Clinic) was opened to ensure continuity of care for women of all ages.

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In March, John C. Desmarais, Commonwealth Health Corporation's President and Chief Executive Officer, introduced CHC to Six Sigma, a quality initiative program developed by Motorola and perfected by General Electric. Bluegrass Outpatient Center was opened to provide a quality outpatient rehabilitation facility. The Medical Center Health and Wellness Center opened at Greenwood Mall and provided free health screenings, seminars, and classes and also included a lending library and mall-walking club. The Medical Center, in conjunction with WBKO Television, held the first annual Health and Wellness Expo where citizens of Southcentral Kentucky received free health screenings and valuable health information. CHC continued to provide needed Emergency Medical Transportation Services for Southcentral Kentucky with dispatch facilities located throughout Warren and Logan counties. SPIRIT 1 (Special Intensive Response in Transport) was especially designed to fulfill the needs of critically ill or injured patients.

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• CHC entered into an agreement to manage the new Barren River Adult Day Care Center at Western Kentucky University. The Adult Day Care Center was later moved to its current location near the CHC Corporate Offices on Reservoir Hill.
• The CHC website was revamped and launched in April.
• The Medical Center Babies was added to the website and enabled family and loved ones from around the world to see photos of babies born at the hospital within hours after birth.
• A Urodiagnostic Center was opened in May.

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• Commonwealth Health Corporation acquired Franklin-Simpson Memorial Hospital in Franklin, Kentucky, and the hospital was renamed The Medical Center at Franklin.
• The Medical Center became the first and only hospital in the region to provide an alternative minimally-invasive treatment option for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
• NewMarket Dimensions was established to provide self-funded employee benefit plan options for employers.
• The Medical Center purchased a total of 264 new beds which were equipped with the latest technology, including built-in patient scales, bed alarms, computerized patient data entry, and pre-programmed positioning for patient comfort and treatment.
• New cardiac monitors were purchased for Critical Care, 3B, Endoscopy and Recovery areas. The new system provides touchscreen capability and interfaced with The Medical Center's computer charting system.
• A new lithotripter machine was purchased which provided state-of-the-art technology for the treatment of patients with kidney stones

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• Plans were announced for a major expansion of more than 31,000 square feet and renovation of over 14,000 square feet of existing facilities for The Medical Center (Bowling Green) at a total cost of $30 million.
• The Medical Center celebrated its 75th anniversary of serving the healthcare needs of residents in Southcentral Kentucky.
• The Medical Center and Daily News hosted a special heart health event with author and international speaker Joe Piscatella presenting “Life Is Not A Dress Rehearsal.”
• Center Care Health Benefit Programs sponsored a symposium highlighting an array of national speakers who addressed issues of healthcare benefits from past, present and future perspectives.
• Southcentral Kentucky's first Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning technology became available at The Medical Center.
• The Commonwealth Health Free Clinic began accepting applications for its Senior Medication Program in Allen, Simpson, and Logan counties and provided free prescription medicines to eligible seniors.
• The Commonwealth Health Foundation was established to support the not-for-profit healthcare objectives of Commonwealth Health Corporation, especially the Commonwealth Health Free Clinic.
• The Medical Center became the title sponsor for the area’s premier health and fitness event, The Medical Center 10k Classic.
• The Medical Center purchased the GE Discovery LS, an advanced imaging system that combined the fastest and most sophisticated computed tomography (CT) with the most advanced positron emission tomography (PET).

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• The Medical Center’s Heart Institute and Vascular Surgeon Michael Byrne, M.D., began offering a new VNUS Closure procedure that treats varicose veins with little or no pain and enables most patients to return to a normal lifestyle within one to two days after surgery.
• The Medical Center Community Wellness Department added two new positions, a Diabetes Educator and a Community Dietitian, to provide needed health services to the public.

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• The Commonwealth Health Foundation reached the $2 million mark in donations and pledges.
• The Medical Center Emergency Medical Services installed state-of-the-art technology at its dispatch center to provide added assistance and accuracy to patients in need of EMS services.
• The Medical Center and T.J. Samson Community Hospital entered a joint venture agreement to operate the Barren River Regional Cancer Center in Glasgow, Ky.
• The Medical Center Health & Wellness Center in Greenwood Mall relocated its facility within the mall to provide expanded services to area residents.
• The Medical Center Emergency Medical Services received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services, becoming the first private, not-for-profit service in Kentucky, and one of only 98 Emergency Medical Services across the nation, to achieve this professional accreditation.
• Center Care Health Benefit Programs had grown to the single largest managed care organization in Southcentral Kentucky, covering over 94,000 lives.

The list could go on and on. Literally, hundreds of thousands of lives have been touched by the services of CHC and The Medical Center. The future is exciting, but we will never forget our past.

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