| In 1909, Dr. Phillip F. Herod and Dr. James A. Bowling, established Alva's first hospital on the second floor of Anton Shafer's harness and saddle shop on the south side of the Square. There were eight to ten beds and Mr. Glenn Wooley was the first administrator. Miss Ada Eaton served as the first charge nurse and Miss Ida Ferguson, of El Reno, helped out as needed.
In as simple a way as can be stated, these pioneers, in the spirit of health care, gave of themselves for the benefit of others... they set the standard of care for our community that has since become a cornerstone of Share Medical Center's service to the area.
According to early accounts, Alva's first signs of health care philanthropy occurred in 1914 when both individuals and organizations helped the Woods County Medical Society establish Alva's first free standing hospital in the building now known as the "Old Alva Library".
Philanthropy again became significant in 1939, after the death of Dr. Arthur E. Hale. Dr. Hale's very close friend and associate, Dr. William E. Simon expressed a wish that in lieu of flowers, individuals could make contributions for the betterment of the Alva General Hospital. This practice continues today.
And later, in the 1950's, after the death of Dr. Simon, Mrs. W.E. Simon offered the W.E. Simon Memorial Fund to establish the first Prayer Room in the Alva General Hospital. Others within the community made their own contributions in various ways and to this day, the Simon Fund has given us the Prayer Room at Share Medical Center and the Simon Garden, now located at Share Convalescent Home.
By the 1960's, two hospitals had been constructed and to the best of my research, 21 physicians had practiced medicine in Alva. But by the late 1960's, many had recognized the need to construct a new, state of the art, hospital.
So, a new hospital was built and on August 2, 1970, Share Medical Center dedication ceremonies were held.
Over half of the approximately $3 million project was funded by the Charles Morton Share Trust, and since that time, this hospital that bears his name and our entire community continue to benefit from Mr. Share's generosity.
While Charles Morton Share and those who came before him made significant contributions to advance health care in Alva and Northwest Oklahoma, the vision for excellent health care in our community did not cease with their passing.
And while it might seem that such generosity has been absent in our medical center without them, the spirit of health care philanthropy is alive and well in our community today thanks to the supporters of the Share Medical Center Foundation.
We have high aspirations for health care and we look forward to the day when our Foundation's humble beginnings reach the point of endowed operations, endowed scholarships, major medical equipment purchase, facility construction, and even the possibility of endowed services and salaries.
Share Medical Center will continue to do whatever it takes to be the first choice for care for people in our area.
With all of us making our own contributions, our visions for the future will one-day be our reality. |