History

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Beginning in 1920
In 1920, Dr. James Davis realized his boyhood dream with the opening of Carpenter-Davis Hospital. Located on South Center Street, the hospital was a result of an arrangement between Dr. Davis, a prominent surgeon, and Dr. F. A. Carpenter, an eye, ear, nose and throat specialist. According to historians, the custom at that time was for a physician to make house calls as well as have a small office for patient visits. With the opening of the 35-bed Carpenter-Davis Hospital, Dr. Davis changed this by establishing a group arrangement with assistants, nurses, technicians and associate doctors.

Davis School of Nursing
In May of 1920, the hospital established the School of Nursing with only three ladies in the freshman class. Miss Elizabeth Hill, a graduate of Mitchell College and the School of Nursing at Charlotte Sanatorium, (today Carolina Medical Center), was the entire nursing staff. In addition to organizing the School of Nursing, Miss Hill was the first superintendent of nurses at Davis, (considered today director of nursing/chief clinical officer). The School of Nursing continued operations until 1984, graduating at least 720 people from the three-year nursing school. Interestingly, all of the graduates were women, except for one man, according to a long-time instructor.

In the hospital's second year of operation Dr. Carpenter died, leaving Dr. Davis to operate the hospital. While continuing to run the hospital, Dr. Davis began searching for land for a new hospital. He chose a cow pasture near the Wagner homestead on West End Avenue, his grandmother's home. This site would later become the home of his 250-bed hospital.

A Leader in the Medical Community
On December 17, 1925, Davis Hospital moved from its South Center Street location to a handsome, new building on West End Avenue. An article appearing in the local paper, The Landmark, described the new $80,000 hospital as "thoroughly equipped. Of the most approved design and construction and with scientific equipment in every department, the new hospital is one of the most modern and completely equipped institutions of this type in North Carolina." In a Statesville paper written by Dr. Davis, he cited some of the firsts that he and his hospital were responsible for, such as:

• One of the first hospitals in North Carolina to use a radiographoscope to view x-ray films. (Radiographoscope was invented by a North Carolina physician).
• One of the very first emergency departments in North Carolina to be open and staffed by a physician 24 hours a day, seven days a week - not unusual today, but a significant accomplishment in the 1920s.
• One of the first hospitals in North Carolina and one of the first in the United States to install air conditioning in the operating rooms. Utilizing air conditioning is a standard practice today, but not in the early years of healthcare.
• One of the first hospitals in the United States to use glucose intravenously.
• An early organizer of blood-donor services and had a blood bank very early in its history.

Throughout the years, Dr. Davis continued his quest of excellence in healthcare with the addition of a maternity wing, more patient rooms and expanded surgical facilities. Unfortunately the largest and most significant addition of a diagnostic clinic was completed in September 1955, just three months after his death.

Remembered throughout North Carolina as a dynamic, driving businessman and a leader in state and national Republican politics, Dr. Davis was credited with performing more than 75,000 surgical procedures, a truly remarkable accomplishment. Announcement of his death brought countless telegrams, letters, and telephone messages of sympathy from many Republican and Democratic party leaders, doctors across the nation and also from the American Medical Association. Dr. Davis was praised as a visionary who gave his whole life for the advancement of medical science. Abiding by his wishes, Dr. Davis was buried in an unpretentious tomb on the south lawn of the West End Avenue hospital. (Upon sale of the West End Avenue property, Dr. Davis' tomb was later moved to Davis Memorial Baptist Church in Wilkes County.)

New Hospital in East Statesville
Davis Hospital continued to operate from the West End location until 1984. Over time 17 additions were made and the need for a newer more modern facility became apparent. Construction on a $20 million dollar facility began in April 1983. On March 24, 1984, Davis moved 58 patients from the West End location to their new hospital on Old Mocksville Road, a 149-bed facility.

Continuing tradition, the 1980s afforded Davis more firsts, including:

• The first birthing rooms in Iredell County, offering a new concept in delivering babies. (1984)
• The first C02 laser in Iredell County, especially for surgical procedures for gynecology and ear, nose, and throat applications. (1984)
• Caring for the first test-tube triplets in North Carolina, resulting in a live national broadcast from Davis on the Good Morning America television show. (1984)
• The county's first psychiatric unit. (1987)

A Decade of Growth
From 1988 - 1998, Davis saw expansion in many areas, such as:

• The first neurologist and neurodiagnostics laboratory, offering EEG, EMG and NCU diagnostic testing.
• The first mobile lithotripter (crushing of kidney stones) in Iredell County.
• The first laparoscopic cholecystectomy in North Carolina.
• A new physical rehabilitation department with an indoor-heated therapy pool. (1994)
• Wound care center for the treatment of chronic wounds. (October 1996)

In the following years, Davis Regional continued to evolve and expand services:

• Reopened wound healing center with two hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers, June 2007
• Opened new 20-bed ER in September 2009, offering special amenities for enhanced patient comfort and privacy.
• Introduced Statesville’s first digital mammography, July 2009
• Began an interventional cardiac cath program in December 2010.
• Received accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) on Tuesday, April 5, 2011. Davis Regional was the first hospital in the county to receive this distinction.
• Expanded behavioral health services in October 2011 with the opening of a 12-bed inpatient unit for geriatric patients.
• Introduced robotic surgery in January 2013 giving surgeons enhanced dexterity, precision and range of motion.
• Named 2013 Large Business of the Year by Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce
• Vestibular rehab services began in our physical rehab department, September 2014
• DRMC surgical services department named an American Institute of Minimally Invasive General Surgery Center of Excellence, January 2016
• Wound healing center earns Center of Distinction designation in 2015 and Center of Excellence designation in 2016 and 2017
• Earned ER Senior Niche designation in May 2016, offering special accommodations for the senior population
• Performed Iredell County’s first radial percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) May 2015
• First in the area to offer online appointments for primary care physicians within Davis Regional Medical Center physicians, December 2016
• Opened heart failure clinic at Davis Medical Group Cardiology Services, January 2017
• Formation of Davis Medical Group, a multi-specialty group of physicians and providers, March 2017
• Expanded labor & delivery area to 8 LDR rooms and 6 postpartum rooms, September 2017
• Expanded behavioral health services in January 2018 with the opening of a dual diagnosis 14-bed unit designed to care for individuals with mental health and substance abuse diagnoses
• Introduced cardiac at-home monitoring, April 2018
• Began offering bone density screenings, May 2018.

While Davis Regional has experienced many changes over the years, it is important to note that the hospital's commitment to the community has not wavered. Consistently, the hospital has contributed an average of more than $40 million dollars each year back to the community in the form of local taxes paid, charitable contributions/public service, charity care, salaries and equipment upgrades.