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Medical Center Hospital celebrated 65 years
of service in December 2014. Opening
December 5, 1949 as an 85-bed community
hospital, MCH met an important need for
Odessa. Over the years, MCH has expanded
and added services and technology to meet
the growing needs of the community. Today,
MCH has grown into a 402-bed Level II Trauma
Center with over 1,700 employees and 350
physicians.
A Hospital is Born
In 1948, there were three hospitals in Odessa.
Dr. Elbert Thorton owned a six-bed hospital,
Dr. Emmett Headlee owned the Headlee
Hospital, which is now the Ector County
Library and Dr. J.K. Wood owned a 34-bed
facility called Wood Hospital.
Due to the need for more healthcare
services, a group of citizens, spearheaded
by Dr. Wood, met with the Ector County
Commissioners to propose a new hospital
for Odessa. The commissioners recognized
the need and C.C. Gibson was soon
hired as the hospital administrator.
After nearly two years of
construction, the Ector County
Hospital was dedicated on
November 27, 1949. And
on December 5, 1949,
the doors were opened
for patients. This 85-bed
community hospital, which
cost $838,946 to build,
would later be called Medical
Center Hospital.
The hospital served about 6,000 patients
a year in the early years. As the number of
patients grew, so did the hospital. First a three-
story addition was created, then a seven-story
tower and then a second seven-story tower.
“It was only three floors when it started,”
says Betty Johnson, an 84-year-old Auxiliary
member. “It’s gone up now and several new
buildings have been added on.”
Changes in Healthcare
Many physicians have chosen to build their
lives and practices in Odessa. Over the years
they have seen the changes in healthcare
firsthand. Dr. Life Barnard, who came to Odessa
in 1969 to be a doctor and still practices today,
explains how the roles of doctors evolved.
“Things have changed so much that you really
need specialists,” he explains. “Medicine has
become more technical and more specialized
and requires more education.”
Another major healthcare change was the
introduction of the computer. Before the
computer, doctors had to rely on being able
to read one another’s handwriting on paper
charts. Dr. Barnard attests that computers have
changed the medical field. “The advantage of
using the computer is there is less chance of
errors being made with more detailed records
and electronic orders,” Dr. Barnard says.
“Also putting the progress notes on the
computer has made it a lot easier to
read other doctors’ notes than the
old paper charts.” By always staying
on the cusp of new technology,
MCH strives to provide the highest
quality patient experience possible.
From a Hospital to a Health
System
Over time, Medical Center
Hospital has become more
than a 402-bed facility by
opening multiple clinics
throughout Odessa. These
include the Family Health
Clinic on Clements, the
Clinics at Walmart in both
Odessa Walmart locations
and the Center for Health
& Wellness on Faudree and
Highway 191. Because of
MCH’s growth outside the four
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ANNUAL
REPORT
2014
MCH 65TH ANNIVERSARY
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