Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center
Encyclopedia
Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center is a general hospital
, owned and operated by the non-profit Otero County Hospital Association, that serves the Alamogordo, New Mexico
area. It is the first military/civilian shared hospital facility in the United States.
GCRMC is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
.
It opened in 1949, and in 2008 it was the largest non-governmental employer in Alamogordo, with 650 employees.
Air Force physicians from Holloman Air Force Base
are credentialed at the hospital to admit and treat Department of Defense
beneficiaries.
The Air Force contributed $7 million for equipment for the new hospital in 1998 and DoD patients will get substantial discounts at the hospital for 15 years, with a guaranteed recovery of $7 million within the first seven years.
.
It has 99 beds
on a 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) campus and facilities for MRI, CAT scan, dialysis
, and sleep disorder
studies, and has a medical laboratory on site.
A Southwest Med Evac air ambulance
helicopter, stationed full time at the hospital, is used to transport patients from the mountain areas to GCRMC, and to transport patients from GCRMC to hospitals in El Paso
, Las Cruces
, and Albuquerque.
The hospital hosts an American Cancer Society
Cancer Resource Center at 1212 9th Street in Alamogordo. The Cancer Resource Center provides free of charge: litertaure, support groups, prostheses, wigs, and hats for cancer patients and cancer survivors. For more information go to visit www.cancer.org.
Alamogordo campus. It has been so successful that 60% of the department's revenue comes from outside the hospital.
Gerald Champion Memorial Hospital was built at the corner of Tenth Street and Cuba Avenue in Alamogordo and was dedicated on Sunday, July 31, 1949
and officially opened for business on Tuesday, August 2, with 24 beds. A number of additions and renovations were made to the facility over the years.
The hospital is named after Gerald D. Champion, a local businessman and civic leader who was chairman of the Otero County Hospital Association during the fund drive for the first building.
Champion died in a private airplane crash on February 3, 1948, during the fund drive.
In addition to chairing the fund drive, Champion was mayor of Tularosa
, operated hardware and building supply stores in Alamogordo and in Tularosa, was chairman of the Central Committee of the state Republican Party
, and was active in many civic groups.
Alamogordo campus in 1999,
and changed its name to Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center.
The original building remained vacant for several years and when no use could be found for it was torn down in 2003.
The new building was constructed at 152000 square feet (14,121.3 m²) at a construction cost of $25,841,000. It won Building Design & Construction
magazine's Grand Award: Institutional in 2000. The program manager was American Health Facilities Development (a subsidiary of Quorum Health Resources), the architects were Collins Reisenbichler Architects (since merged with Perkins and Will
), and the general contractor was Robins & Morton.
GCRMC celebrated its 60th anniversary on August 22, 2009 with the opening of a renovated entryway and a new obstetrics unit.
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, owned and operated by the non-profit Otero County Hospital Association, that serves the Alamogordo, New Mexico
Alamogordo, New Mexico
Alamogordo is the county seat of Otero County and a city in south-central New Mexico, United States. A desert community lying in the Tularosa Basin, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains. It is the nearest city to Holloman Air Force Base. The population was 35,582 as of the 2000...
area. It is the first military/civilian shared hospital facility in the United States.
GCRMC is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
The Joint Commission , formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations , is a United States-based not-for-profit organization that accredits over 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States...
.
It opened in 1949, and in 2008 it was the largest non-governmental employer in Alamogordo, with 650 employees.
Shared military and civilian facility
With the opening of its new facility in 1999, GCRMC became the first hospital in the United States shared by active-duty military personnel and civilians.Air Force physicians from Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located six miles southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, a city in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. The base was named in honor of Col. George V. Holloman, a pioneer in guided missile research...
are credentialed at the hospital to admit and treat Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
beneficiaries.
The Air Force contributed $7 million for equipment for the new hospital in 1998 and DoD patients will get substantial discounts at the hospital for 15 years, with a guaranteed recovery of $7 million within the first seven years.
Medical services
The hospital is a Level III trauma centerTrauma center
A trauma center is a hospital equipped to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries. Trauma centers grew into existence out of the realization that traumatic injury is a disease process unto itself requiring specialized and experienced...
.
It has 99 beds
on a 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) campus and facilities for MRI, CAT scan, dialysis
Dialysis
In medicine, dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure...
, and sleep disorder
Sleep disorder
A sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder of the sleep patterns of a person or animal. Some sleep disorders are serious enough to interfere with normal physical, mental and emotional functioning...
studies, and has a medical laboratory on site.
A Southwest Med Evac air ambulance
Air ambulance
An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....
helicopter, stationed full time at the hospital, is used to transport patients from the mountain areas to GCRMC, and to transport patients from GCRMC to hospitals in El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
, Las Cruces
Las Cruces
Las Cruces could refer to:* Battle of Monte de las Cruces* Las Cruces, California* Las Cruces, Chile* Las Cruces, New Mexico ** The main campus of New Mexico State University...
, and Albuquerque.
The hospital hosts an American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
Cancer Resource Center at 1212 9th Street in Alamogordo. The Cancer Resource Center provides free of charge: litertaure, support groups, prostheses, wigs, and hats for cancer patients and cancer survivors. For more information go to visit www.cancer.org.
Catering
The hospital's food and nutrition services department operates a catering service, Mountain View Catering, that caters both on-site and off-site events and provides food service at the nearby New Mexico State UniversityNew Mexico State University
New Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
Alamogordo campus. It has been so successful that 60% of the department's revenue comes from outside the hospital.
Founding and early years
The Otero County Hospital Association was formed in 1946 to build a basic county hospital.Gerald Champion Memorial Hospital was built at the corner of Tenth Street and Cuba Avenue in Alamogordo and was dedicated on Sunday, July 31, 1949
and officially opened for business on Tuesday, August 2, with 24 beds. A number of additions and renovations were made to the facility over the years.
The hospital is named after Gerald D. Champion, a local businessman and civic leader who was chairman of the Otero County Hospital Association during the fund drive for the first building.
Champion died in a private airplane crash on February 3, 1948, during the fund drive.
In addition to chairing the fund drive, Champion was mayor of Tularosa
Tularosa, New Mexico
Tularosa is a village in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. It shares its name with the Tularosa Basin, in which the town is located. To the east, Tularosa is flanked by the western edge of the Sacramento Mountains. The population was 2,864 at the 2000 census...
, operated hardware and building supply stores in Alamogordo and in Tularosa, was chairman of the Central Committee of the state Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, and was active in many civic groups.
Transition to regional medical center
The hospital moved to a new building on Scenic Drive near the New Mexico State UniversityNew Mexico State University
New Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
Alamogordo campus in 1999,
and changed its name to Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center.
The original building remained vacant for several years and when no use could be found for it was torn down in 2003.
The new building was constructed at 152000 square feet (14,121.3 m²) at a construction cost of $25,841,000. It won Building Design & Construction
Building Design & Construction
Building Design+Construction is a trade publication and Web site serving the information needs of designing, building, and owning firms in the non-residential construction industry....
magazine's Grand Award: Institutional in 2000. The program manager was American Health Facilities Development (a subsidiary of Quorum Health Resources), the architects were Collins Reisenbichler Architects (since merged with Perkins and Will
Perkins and Will
Perkins+Will was founded in Chicago in 1935 by and ., on the belief that design has the power to transform lives and enhance society...
), and the general contractor was Robins & Morton.
GCRMC celebrated its 60th anniversary on August 22, 2009 with the opening of a renovated entryway and a new obstetrics unit.