Cleveland Regional Medical Center has woven a rich history since we opened our doors more than 75 years ago in Shelby, N.C. The tradition began in 1910 when Dr. T.G. Hamrick opened Cleveland County's first private hospital in a building originally constructed as a teaching academy. As the area began to grow, the need for a dedicated hospital facility was realized, and in 1923, a new 43-bed Shelby Hospital opened. In its first year Shelby Hospital treated 472 patients at an average cost of $3 a day.

Cleveland County took over the management of Shelby Hospital in July of 1945. In 1952, a new $600,000, 57-bed wing was added that brought the facility's capacity up to 125 beds. Two new floors for patient care and an expanded X-ray facility were included in the addition. Four years later, another wing, at a cost of $450,000, was added - increasing the bed capacity to 175 and the number of staff to 181. Shelby Hospital also added one of North Carolina's five General Electric X-ray machines. Nicknamed "The Big Wheel," the equipment was the latest in diagnostic technology.

In July 1957 Cleveland County leased the hospital to a board of trustees for operation. Later that year the facility was renamed Cleveland Memorial Hospital.

The hospital began its largest building project to date in 1967 with a $3.8 million, 100-bed wing that brought patient capacity to 275. In 1968 the hospital opened an Intensive Care Unit. The unit was devoted to specialized coronary nursing and featured sophisticated, round-the-clock patient monitoring equipment.

Cleveland Memorial Hospital began another addition in late 1972. The $1.5 million project expanded outpatient and X-ray services and provided a new entrance, classrooms, an auditorium, waiting room and coffee shop. Completed in 1975, the addition featured a new $150,000 linear accelerator, one of only three in North Carolina. The accelerator brought extensive cancer treatment close to residents.

Twelve years later, a private firm, hired by the board of trustees, determined that building a brand new Cleveland Memorial Hospital instead of adding or renovating the existing structures would be most cost effective option. Voters passed a $25 million bond referendum to help finance the new hospital by a whopping three-to-one margin in March 1988. Construction began one year later and was completed in August 1992.

To serve the needs of seniors, Cleveland Memorial Hospital opened Cleveland Pines Nursing Center in March 1992. This 120-bed, long-term care center is also located in Shelby. In 1998 Crawley Memorial Hospital, a 60-bed, acute and long-term care hospital in nearby Boiling Springs, N.C., also merged with CRMC.

In 1996 Cleveland Memorial Hospital began doing business as Cleveland Regional Medical Center (CRMC), and the county commissioners approved a lease agreement between CRMC and Carolinas HealthCare System.

Our Emergency Department has been designated as North Carolina's first Level III Trauma Center since March 1997. As a partner with Carolinas Medical Center (part of Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, N.C.), the Emergency Department is certified for all emergency situations.

Well-trained medical and support staffs now provide comprehensive services through Centers of Excellence specializing in oncology, cardiology, rehabilitation surgery, women and children's services, and critical care.

In February 2000 Cleveland Regional Rehab (CRR), through a unique partnership with the Dover Foundation YMCA, opened its new facility. CRR provides a full spectrum of rehabilitative care including physical, occupational and speech therapy, and aquatic therapy as well as a certified Cardiac Rehab Program. The partnership provides patients continuity of care from the hospital bed to outpatient therapy to daily fitness maintenance programs at the YMCA. This seamless approach to healthier lifestyles assures patients richer lives and independent living.

The Cancer Center at CRMC became Blumenthal Cancer Center at CRMC in March 2000. As one of the first cancer centers in the region to be certified by the American College of Surgeons, we offer a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care. And as a part of Blumenthal Cancer Center at Carolinas Medical Center, our area patients and their families have access to those same physician groups, comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services, as wells as support services without leaving their homes.

Cleveland Regional Heart Center was founded in May 2000 as part of The Carolinas Heart Institute at Carolinas Medical Center, one of the most respected cardiac programs in the Southeast. The heart center provides patients with access to those same physician groups and treatment protocols. It also provides most of the advanced cardiac procedures available and comprehensive diagnostic, treatment and support services without traveling far from home. For patients requiring heart surgery, helicopter transport is readily available from the Emergency Department.

Both CRMC and its medical staff participate in a unique partnership among Cleveland County's healthcare providers called the HealthCare Enterprise. Developed 1997 to assure clients a seamless and cost-efficient approach to healthcare, the partnership includes services from physician care to hospital, health department, home health, rehabilitation and fitness, and hospice care. As a team, all are dedicated to a healthier community where residents actively participate in their own wellness.

From that spirited beginning to the current fully accredited, 261-bed, acute care, not-for-profit medical complex, CRMC continues to meet the healthcare needs of more than 120,000 residents of Cleveland County and the surrounding area. And with its sophisticated technology, dedicated staff and strong physician base, CRMC offers comprehensive, quality driven, compassionate care that rivals any in the region.

With a vision toward the future and a continued commitment to care for the community with compassion and excellence, CRMC will remain true to its mission, rich with human dignity, compassion dedication, stewardship, integrity and leadership.