New Baptist Hospital a Labor of Love Featuring Mark Faulkner

11/26/2023

Two months after our historic move to the new Baptist Hospital campus, I continue to marvel at this incredible facility and the level of innovative care it allows us to bring to our friends and neighbors throughout Northwest Florida and South Alabama. The campus is the culmination of years of planning and hard work fueled by the vision of our founders. They not only brought Baptist Hospital into being 70-plus years ago, but also left a legacy of determination to improve the quality of life for every member of our community, today and for generations to come.

So how do we do that? We began with a promise to put the care of our community at the top of our priorities – and at the center of the design of our new campus. Every decision in the building process was made by asking ourselves, “What is best for our patients?  What is best for our team members so they can provide the best care to our patients?” Our goal was to create an environment that would be as comfortable, convenient, easy to navigate and stress-free as possible. We designed the buildings to ensure efficiency and safety throughout. We invested in leading-edge technologies and equipment that allow us to provide world-class diagnostic services and treatment options. We included amenities like our on-site retail pharmacy, free valet parking, multiple dining options, and gift shop to offer extra convenience. We partnered with ECAT to expand bus service with a new route to our campus, and we built a park-like town square for healing and respite.

As a lifelong member of this community, I am proud of our new campus in ways I cannot fully explain. I don’t think I’ll ever lose the sense of awe I feel when I drive by this amazing facility. It is a very visible symbol of hope and prosperity for our community. 

But we all know that bricks and mortar don’t fully complete this journey. It’s the people inside that lead us forward. The kind of people who come to work every day looking for ways they can make a difference in the lives of our patients and their families. The kind of people who know that the person in that hospital bed needs a calming voice and a caring touch as much as he or she needs medication or surgery. The kind of people who know that the profession they chose satisfies a deep desire to help others. Baptist would not be where it is today without the people who are committed to our shared mission of helping others throughout life’s journey.

The move to the new campus in late September was flawless, safe and efficient. Thanks to our community partners and team members, the entire move took only seven hours. That was far from a simple feat. In fact, it was the result of months of planning and practice by more than 1,100 of our team members. Take a moment to think about the logistics of such a move. Not only did we need to physically transport the patients, but we needed to be completely ready to care for them upon arrival at the new hospital. That means every bed made, every piece of equipment booted up and ready to go, every shelf stocked with needed supplies. And, most importantly, our team members had to be ready for immediate action.  The amount of effort and preparation our team members devoted to making sure they were ready for that first mother and baby, that first surgery patient, the first heart attack victim, and that first trauma will inspire me for the rest of my days.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the number of families who shared in our vision and have made philanthropic contributions to benefit the community through our organization. They, too, saw the possibilities and opportunities to improve lives in our community and they helped provide the financial means to make that shared vision a reality.  

I am so proud of our Baptist family, and what we have accomplished by working alongside one another. And I am humbled by the privilege that’s been given to me to be a part of such a caring, compassionate team and generous community. We share an amazing role in continuing the legacy set forth by our founders. Together, we know we can further build upon that great legacy as we continue to bring innovative health care to the community we are so blessed to serve.