Prisma Health Children’s Hospital of the Midlands celebrates 40th birthday

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Prisma Health Children’s Hospital of the Midlands is turning the big 4-0.

Doctors and patients came together to celebrate and take a look back on the hospital’s history.

Dr. Caughman Taylor says he was a first-year-resident when the hospital opened, and now, he’s the children’s hospital’s Senior Medical Director.

“This is a dream fulfilled. That we had a long time ago-40 years ago. That we would create the state’s first children’s hospital. And so today we’re celebrating that legacy of 40 years of serving our community, serving children, and how much we’ve grown,” says Taylor.

According to Taylor, the children’s hospital saw about 12,000 patients when they opened in 1983, and now they have over 160,000 visits from children every year.

He says the hospital has also grown from 40 inpatient beds to 120 bed, 12 neonatal intensive care beds to 69 beds, and from 10 pediatric specialists to over 125.

“The spirit that’s here in the staff and in the pediatric community has made that possible, because they truly believe it’s a privilege and an honor to take care of children, and wanting to and providing them the very best care,” says Taylor.

Bianica McFadden says her daughter Kazail has been treated for scoliosis at the children’s hospital for the past five years.

“I like that everybody we run across are friendly people, they’re kind. And every doctor and physician here, they let us know what’s going on, they don’t just say ‘Well this is what’s happening.’ They break it down for us to understand, so we always get warmth and joy coming here. It’s literally like family coming here, ” says McFadden.

The hospital has also been named the best children’s hospital in the country two times in the past five years by “Solutions for Patients Safety” –a network of over 140 hospitals.

“I have the best job in the world — that I get to help take care of kids and work with such great people here that are so dedicated to taking care of children. They don’t see it as a job, they see it as a mission. They see it as something very important, and that makes it easy. It makes every day a great day,” says Taylor.