DCH Regional Medical Center, originally known as Druid City Hospital and generally referred to as DCH, is a public, not-for-profit

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

and medical complex located in

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of 1 ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

that serves the West Alabama region. DCH is operated by the DCH Health System, which also runs the Northport Medical Center and the Fayette Medical Center in

Northport, Alabama Northport is a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in the west central part of the U.S. state, State of Alabama. Located on the Black Warrior River across from downtown Tuscaloosa, it is currently the 21st largest city in Alabam ...

and

Fayette, Alabama Fayette is a city and the county seat of Fayette County, Alabama, United States. The population was 4,619 at the 2010 census, down from 4,922 at the 2000 census. History Originally known as "La Fayette", it incorporated on January 15, 1821. W ...

, respectively. As of 2014, DCH employed 3,481 persons, making it the second highest employer in Tuscaloosa County.

History

In 1916, a small medical clinic opened on Broad Street (now known as University Boulevard) to serve Tuscaloosa. The 12-bed Druid City Infirmary was quickly seen to be insufficient to serve the town's medical needs. With land donated by the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

, a bond issue and public subscriptions were used to fund a new hospital on a nearby site. Dubbed Druid City Hospital, it officially opened on March 25, 1923. DCH has expanded and changed locations over the years. At the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in 1946, it leased a portion of Northington General Hospital to serve its burgeoning patient population. Six years later, in 1952, it moved from Northington to its present site, 809 University Blvd. E. Its original space reverted to the University of Alabama and, in 2012, a renovated Russell Hall was constructed there.

References

{{authority control Hospitals in Alabama 1923 establishments in Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama