Blount Memorial Hospital celebrating 65 years

<A local hospital iscelebrating amedical milestone.On July 24th, 1947, Blount Memorial Hospital first opened its doors.Now, 65 years later, the hospital islooking back on all the work it took to make Blount Memorial a reality-- three years of planning, and an effort from the entire Blount County community. "Harrison Construction workers that poured concrete on Saturdays, anda whole host of bake sales and quilt sales, a federal grant, a special act of the state legislature, and physicians in the community donated instruments to start the hospital. So it was a real community-wide effort and that continues today," said Don Heinemann, Blount Memorial Hospital CEO.Moving forward, Blount Memorial's CEO says it's an exciting and challenging time to be in health care. He says one task ahead is providing quality care for a large group of aging baby boomers. Blount Memorial currently employs 2000 people, and is one of the largest employers in the county. <