Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 18, 2000 - Baptist Memorial Hospital-East opened its new 144,000-square-foot, five-story bed tower today.

The bed tower, attached to the hospital, features 166 rooms, including medical-surgery suites and the Hardin Pediatric Center. The pediatric center, designed to appeal to children, features specialized rooms for pediatric care with a jungle theme. Two-year-old Carly Copeland was the first patient moved to the Hardin Pediatric Center.

The bed tower is the first of several major construction projects on the Baptist East campus to be completed. The Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women and the Baptist Heart Institute of the Mid-South are slated for completion in 2001.

"Adding the new rooms, technology and staff will allow us to expand our services and better care for the needs of our patients," said Stuart Mitchell, Baptist East administrator and CEO. "It also helps us meet our goal of providing individualized, comprehensive care for each of our patients."

Baptist East was built in 1979, and has grown from a community hospital featuring obstetric services to a full-service tertiary care hospital with a full spectrum of specialties. The hospital's special services include a pediatric emergency department, high-risk pregnancy center, women's resource center and a cardiac wellness complex. The hospital has 770 licensed beds and approximately 2,400 employees. Mid-Southerners recently named Baptist East their preferred hospital in a National Research Corp. survey, making 1999 Baptist East's fourth consecutive year to win the National Research Corp.'s Consumer Choice Award.

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