Baton Rouge General Medical Center history

Caruthers was a staunch supporter of the hospital and even took charge in 1912 when Doctor Singletary became too ill to continue his practice.

The Blue Birds and the Pink Ladies were two early groups that evolved into the hospital’s Auxiliary, which was founded in 1952.

Doctor James Calvin was one of the first cardiologists in this region when, in 1965, he joined the internal medicine clinic on North Boulevard in Baton Rouge.

The need for specialized burn care became apparent and Baton Rouge General opened its Regional Burn Center on July 14, 1970.

A decade later, the hospital performed Baton Rouge’s first coronary artery bypass surgery, and in 1974, made national headlines when Doctor Eugene Berry successfully implanted a pacemaker in 5-day-old Amy Sciple.

Doctor T.R. Kilpatrick joined him two years later, and Doctor Boyd E. Helm became the third cardiologist at that clinic in 1975.

In 1976, Baton Rouge General took the lead in addressing the problem and opened the state’s first chemical dependency unit.

To reflect its expanding services, the hospital’s name was changed in 1981 to Baton Rouge General Medical Center.

As demand for services increased, the partners, along with several new doctors, moved to the current location on Brittany Drive in 1986.

In 1987, Baton Rouge General became the first hospital to be approved by the American College of Surgeons as a community hospital comprehensive cancer program.

In 1991, Baton Rouge General’s medical education program expanded when it partnered with Earl K. Long Medical Center to provide training for residents in internal medicine, emergency medicine and general surgery.

Our Cardiovascular Specialty Care Center, which houses an outpatient catheterization (cath) lab for diagnosing heart conditions, opened in 1993.