About Us - A Message From the President
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Thomas A. Kleinhanzl
President and CEO
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At the turn of the century there were fewer than 80 million people living in the United States. Eight thousand cars traveled less than 10 miles of paved roads, and first-class stamps cost a penny a piece. The average worker earned $12.98 per week, and could expect to live less than 47 years; and Mrs. Emma Smith decided that Frederick City needed a hospital. A determined civic leader, Mrs. Smith was able to rally the community to the cause, and in July of 1901 the corner stone for Frederick City Hospital was laid. Just 10 months later, on May 1, 1902, the hospital opened its doors. They have remained open every moment of every day since.
What began as a 2-ward hospital with an “accident room” for emergencies has grown into a state-of-the-art healthcare facility with one of the busiest Emergency Department in the state of Maryland. Frederick County is the second fastest growing county in Maryland with an estimated population of more than 233,000. Frederick Memorial Healthcare System is keeping pace with the the rapid growth by expanding existing services, adding new capabilities and technologies, and launching new service lines such as Interventional Cardiology, a Stroke Center of Excellence, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, CyberKnife Radiosugical Technology to treat inoperable tumors, and the Center for Advanced Skin and Wound Care with Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber capability. As we continue to grow into the 21st century, and prepare to adopt new technologies that are today only in the design stage, FMH will never lose sight of its purpose so eloquently expressed by the hospital’s founder Emma Smith in 1898: to provide “ . . .a place to care for the sick, comfort the injured, and provide peace of mind for the citizens we serve.”
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