Brookwood Baptist Health
Brookwood Baptist Health (formerly Baptist Health System) is a family of five hospitals and numerous affiliated health centers in the Birmingham area. The system was founded with the establishment of the Birmingham Baptist Hospital (now Princeton Baptist Medical Center) in 1922 as a joint ministry of a group of Baptist churches. The system is now organized as a non-profit corporation whose trustees are appointed by the Birmingham Baptist Association.
The organization was headquartered in a 120,000 square foot office building at 3201 4th Avenue South in Birmingham until 2013, when it moved into leased offices in Ridge Park Place at 1130 22nd Street South. The president and CEO of Brookwood Baptist Health is Jeremy Clark.
In 1994 Baptist Health System merged its Princeton Healthcare Services and Montclair Medical Clinics to form a wholly-owned for-profit subsidiary, Baptist Health Centers, which specializes in managing physician practices. The company owns 38 clinics in north and central Alabama and manages 10 others.
At the start of 2003, the system was the largest hospital chain in the state, with 10 facilities, but was struggling financially. In the spring of that year, the board of trustees voted 18-1 to negotiate with Triad Hospitals of Plano, Texas seeking capital for deferred maintenance, equipment replacement, and construction of new facilities. In July, however, a narrow majority of the board passed a resolution to cut off those talks as well as any other preparations for a merger, partnership or sale. Chair Bobby Keith and several other members of the board, surprised by what they saw as a "hostile takeover," resigned immediately. Surgeon Michael Drummond was elected to chair the board.
In October 2005 Baptist Health System sold 65% ownership of its Montclair Baptist Medical Center on Montclair Road in Birmingham to Triad. That company was sold in July 2007 to Community Health Systems of Brentwood, Tennessee— which renamed it Trinity Medical Center. BHS sold its remaining 30% share of Trinity in June 2008 for an undisclosed amount.
In July 2008, BHS announced plans for a new hospital on an 18-acre site in western Hoover off Alabama Highway 150 near I-459. The proposed Hoover Baptist Medical Center would have taken the place of an existing medical office building in a former Winn-Dixie location. BHS applied to move 140 beds from Princeton, which was licensed for 499 beds but only used 300. BHS stated that it was not abandoning West End, but attempting to bring healthcare services where they were most needed.
In October 2015 Baptist Health System entered into a merger agreement with Tenet Healthcare Corp., owners of Brookwood Medical Center in Homewood, to form Brookwood Baptist Health, in which BHS took a 40% stake. Before the merger, Baptist Health System was licensed for 1,576 patient beds and served over 36,000 inpatients and more than 370,000 outpatients each year. It employed 4,300 workers, of which 520 were staff physicians.
In 2024 Tenet sold its 70% ownership stake in Brookwood Baptist Health to Orlando Health for $910 million. A new division of that company, called Orlando Health in Alabama, assumed operation of the system, with Thibaut van Marcke as president.
Chief executives
- Dennis Hall, –2003
- Shane Spees, –December 2013
- Keith Parrott, December 2013–2018
- Sally Hurt-Deitch (interim), 2018
- Tim Puthoff, January 2019–2021
- Jeremy Clark, September 30, 2021–
- Thibaut van Marcke, 2024–
Facilities
Hospitals
- Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, Homewood (595 beds)
- Citizens Baptist Medical Center, Talladega (122 beds)
- Princeton Baptist Medical Center, Birmingham (499 beds)
- Shelby Baptist Medical Center, Alabaster (193 beds)
- Walker Baptist Medical Center, Jasper (267 beds)
- Hoover Baptist Medical Center (proposed)
Health centers
- Baptist Health Center Bessemer
- Baptist Health Center Cahaba Valley
- Baptist Health Center Center Point
- Baptist Health Center Columbiana
- Baptist Health Center Gardendale
- Baptist Health Center Hueytown
- Baptist Health Center Jemison
- Baptist Health Center Leeds
- Baptist Health Center Lincoln
- Baptist Health Center Moyo
- Baptist Health Center Munford
- Baptist Health Center Pinson
- Baptist Health Center Talladega
- Baptist Health Center Trussville
- Princeton Medical Associates
External links
- Brookwood Baptist Health website
References
- Lott, Janie (1972) The First Fifty: A History of the Baptist Medical Centers, Birmingham, Alabama 1922-1972. Birmingham: Baptist Medical Centers/Birmingham Publishing Co.
- Bassing, Tom (July 20, 2003) "'Hostile takeover' beset Baptist board." Birmingham Business Journal
- Velasco, Anna (July 22, 2008) "Baptist Health System will seek approval to build and operate a hospital in Hoover." The Birmingham News
- Tomberlin, Michael (August 16, 2013) "Baptist Health System relocating Birmingham corporate headquarters." The Birmingham News
- West, Ty (October 2, 2015) "Baptist Health, Brookwood complete merger deal." Birmingham Business Journal
- Thornton, William (August 5, 2024) "Tenet Healthcare to sell stake in 5 Birmingham hospitals for $910 million." AL.com