June 17, 1911

Children’s Hospital was founded June 17, 1911, as Holy Innocents Hospital. The Episcopal Dioceses of Alabama sponsored the project under the leadership of the Rev. Carl Henckell of All Saints Episcopal Mission, the Rev. Raimundo de Ovies of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and Dr. James Dedman, Birmingham’s medical officer.

The hospital was located in a house, and the staff eventually cared for as many as 25 patients. In 1914, the facility became Children’s Hospital. The Women’s Auxiliary organized doll bazaars to help support the hospital, until the Community Chest of Birmingham stepped in to supplement the cost of medical care provided to families.

On June 2, 1924, the hospital moved to a new brick building at 30^th Street South. A second building was added in 1932, allowing beds for 100 patients. After receiving federal funding, in 1961 the facility was replaced with a modern, four-story building at 1601 Sixth Ave. S. That year, Children’s forged an agreement with UAB Hospital and the UAB Department of Pediatric Medicine to serve as a teaching and research hospital. Further additions brought the hospital to more than 1,900 beds by 1989. Two years later, a nearly 200,000-square-foot Ambulatory Care Center was opened, allowing the hospital to install a helipad and enlarge its trauma facilities.

In 2018, Children’s Hospital employed 4,999 people, performed 26,381 inpatient and outpatient surgeries, and had 677,390 outpatient visits.

For the ninth straight year, U.S. News & World Report named Children’s among the nation’s best hospitals.

Read more at Bhamwiki.

Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children in Birmingham, 2017. (Mx. Granger, Wikipedia)

Children’s of Alabama, 2013. (Wally Argus, Flickr)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.