Salem Medical Center celebrated its 100thanniversary Thursday with special guests and, of course, birthday cake.
A chocolate and vanilla birthday cake featuring a photo of the original Salem County Memorial Hospital was enjoyed by all at the 100th anniversary celebration held at Salem Medical Center on Nov. 7.
Salem Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Tammy Torres, DNP, MSN, RN, welcomed nearly 100 physicians, nurses, staff and community members to the special occasion that took place in the Hospital lobby.
From left: Mannington Township Mayor Donald Asay; Salem Medical Center Board Members Rev. Awood Jones, Ceil Smith, Brenda Goins, Congressman Jefferson Van Drew, Freeholder Scott Griscom, and SMC Board Member Michael Gorman.
“It’s great to see so many people here to celebrate this milestone,” said Dr. Torres. “Wow – 100 years of serving our community. This is a tribute to the many people who’ve served in one way or another throughout our history. If not for them, we would have nothing to celebrate today.”
Congressmen Jefferson Van Drew helped to mark the celebration while enjoying his first visit to Salem Medical Center, one of the first hospitals in South Jersey.
Congressman Jefferson Van Drew addresses the crowd at Salem Medical Center’s 100th anniversary celebration on Nov. 7.
“I’m not in Washington today, and it’s a lot more fun here,” he said. “This is a beautiful and amazing place. It’s so nice to see when community comes together, when community cares about its future and when community works with each other. That’s something to be admired because it isn’t that way everywhere else, I promise you that.”
Van Drew presented William J. Colgan, Chairman of the SMC Hospital Board of Trustees, with a Congressional Proclamation honoring the accomplishments of the hospital.
Congressman Jefferson Van Drew presented Hospital Chairman William J. Colgan with a Congressional Proclamation honoring the hospital’s 100 years of service to Salem County and the surrounding area.
Colgan reminisced about the hospital’s past.
“A group of people got together in 1918 and approached the mayor about the area’s need for a community hospital,” Colgan said. “In 1919, the Salem County Memorial Hospital opened in downtown Salem.”
Colgan explained that the hospital is now, once again, a non-profit entity and is governed by a board largely made up of members of the local community.
Salem Medical Center Chairman William J. Colgan addresses the crowd at Salem Medical Center’s 100th anniversary Celebration on Nov. 7.
“Our vision going forward is to understand the needs of our community and to address those needs,” Colgan said. “Within the next couple of years, we will be rolling out programs here including detox services, subacute care, and behavioral health. We believe if we address the needs of the community, we will restore confidence in the community.”
Hospital board members Ceil Smith, Michael Gorman, Brenda Goins, Rev. Awood Jones and Dr. Douglas Mazzuca, and SMC Medical Staff Vice Chief Wamiq Sultan, MD, were on hand to recognize the hospital’s century of service to Salem County and surrounding areas.
In addition to Congressional and State Proclamations, Salem County Freeholder Scott Griscom presented Colgan with a Proclamation from the Salem County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
The event was topped off with a sparkling cider toast to laud the first 100 years of caring for the people of Salem County and beyond.
The original hospital opened on Market Street in Salem on Sept. 1, 1919. Ground was broken in December 1949 for a new hospital in Mannington Township, which opened for patients in 1951. Approximately 10 years later, construction expanded the hospital to 133 beds and by the early 1970s, the hospital would be expanded by operating rooms, radiology, a laboratory and emergency units.
Construction projects continued, adding Intensive Care, Telemetry, and a Women’s Unit. In 2006, the new Emergency Department opened.
Salem Medical Center CEO Tammy Torres, SMC Chairman William J. Colgan, Congressman Jefferson Van Drew, Salem County Freeholder Scott Griscom, and Vice Chief of Medical Staff Dr. Wamiq Sultan.
“Today, 100 years later, Salem Medical Center continues to build on its proud history with new vision and new leadership, but with the same mission of providing quality healthcare to the people of Salem County and surrounding areas,” said Dr. Torres. “We are excited for what the next 100 years bring.”