That apparently was the case when Dave Adams, Sr., had to rush his then-small son, who had been stricken with polio, to an Ogden hospital. This was in the days before a North Davis hospital. "We had a 2-year-old boy who got polio. It came on awfully fast," he said. "I had to race from Layton to get up to Ogden. Dr. (Noall Z.) Tanner was up there, when we finally got there.
"He was there seven or eight days, was on an iron lung, and finally passed away," Adams said.
"It was kind of a motivating force that I felt we should have hospitals closer and not have to go through that kind of experience," he said.
What followed were years of negotiations, meetings with hospital officials back East and county efforts leading to construction of what is now Davis Hospital and Medical Center.
The hospital has reached its 30th birthday milestone -- and they will celebrate the milestone on Saturday.
A giant gala is planned for that evening at the Davis Conference Center. The formal program will include dinner, program and dancing. Some 700 guests are anticipated.
The IASIS Chairman's Award will be presented to Tim Wardle, R.N. IASIS is the parent company of Davis Hospital.
The award is the highest honor an employee can receive and recognizes those who demonstrate commitment to community service in addition to excellence in the job.
Dean S. Holman, the facility's first administrator, will also be honored. He was hired in early 1976 to oversee final construction of the hospital, which cost just under $8 million to build, said Michael Jensen, hospital administrator.
By comparison, the 2002 addition of a Women's Center, larger emergency room and operating rooms cost nearly three times as much.
Five 30-year employees will also be feted: they are Christina Poore, who served as Holman's administrative assistant for many years; Francine Larsen, Jill Nukesell, Ina Ericksen and Rosalyn Warner.
The hospital was made possible through long-time efforts of several North Davis doctors as well as the Davis County Commission, which voted in 1968 to recommend a bond election to construct two hospitals: a replacement in Bountiful and a new facility in North Davis.
Those commissioners who followed the lead of such folks as Adams and the late Dr. Noall Tanner, for whom the Tanner Clinic is named, and others, were the late Richard Evans and Glen Flint, of West Point, and Stan Smoot, of North Salt Lake. Humana Inc. built and opened the hospital.
In a history compiled by Dr. Tanner, he wrote, "Construction was completed in September 1976 [with] approximately two weeks of frenzied activity by those employees on hand at the time to place equipment and to insure the hospital was ready for dedication ceremonies.
"The physicians were organized into a medical staff and additional physicians were contacted who were going to move into the area. The physicians met quite regularly in the evenings in an effort to organize themselves."
The original hospital was four stories and covered 90,000 square feet on a 23-acre site. Some 100 beds were included, with 25 additional shelled in. That has grown to more than 130 beds, nearly 800 employees, 2,500-plus births a year and 30,000 emergency room visits.
The new Robert F. Bitner M.D. Medical Office Building will also be dedicated Friday at 11 a.m. Dr. Bitner, who served for many years in the area, will be among those on hand.
"The hospital has been a great asset to the community," said Stuart Adams, Dave Adams' son and chairman of the current hospital board.
"The economic and medical impact is significant. It's a real convenience to have. These are exciting times," he said.
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com
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