The story of T.J. Samson Community Hospital began in 1926 when the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce was in the throes of a fundraising campaign to build an addition to the Maple-Wood Infirmary. Then, the Commonwealth Fund of New York, an organization dedicated to the establishment of rural hospitals, emerged as a possibility for building a new hospital instead. The Chamber agreed and on Nov. 6, 1926, the Commonwealth Fund awarded its second endowment to Glasgow on a 2-to-1 fund matching incentive.
The endowment granted a $130,000 honorarium toward the establishment of a community hospital, with the local community contributing the remaining $65,000. A fundraising committee was established, and it was decided that any party donating $25,000 or more would be allowed to name the hospital as a memorial (smaller contributions would earn other commemorations, like memorial rooms and plaques). On Feb. 15, 1927, a member of the advisory committee, T. J. Samson, pledged his stock in the Samson Tobacco Company (worth $18,500) plus an additional $6,500 for the privilege of naming the hospital.
Construction on the original facility began the following year. In October 1928 the Community Hospital of Glasgow was ready for inspection by the Commonwealth Fund. The building easily passed, and on Sept. 3, 1929, the hospital was dedicated and opened to the public. The first patient, J. G. Russell, of Whetstone, Kentucky, was admitted on Sept. 18 of that same year.
Since then, the hospital has undergone several expansions, including its most recent addition—a new wing to house a state-of-the-art labor and delivery floor, the Emergency Department, the cardiology laboratory, and the intensive care unit.
In May 1997 the hospital was designated as the site for one of Kentucky's congressionally mandated Family Practice Residency Programs and is home to the University of Louisville Glasgow/Barren County Family Medicine Residency.
T.J. Regional Health Celebrated it's 90th birthday in September 2019. Mr. Glenn Joiner and others share their stories:
The opening of the T.J. Health Pavilion in 2013 allowed patients more convenient access to outpatient testing and services, as well as the ability to visit their medical provider all at the same location.
The T.J. Health Pavilion houses an outpatient services center as well as medical offices for primary care and specialty providers and services including radiology, lab, phlebotomy, nuclear medicine, rehabilitation services, and a Women’s Center, as well as the T.J. Pavilion Pharmacy and T.J. Urgent Care. The state of the art facility also boasts a community center where hundreds of events are hosted each year.
In February 2016, T.J. Regional Health purchased Westlake Regional Hospital, now known as T.J. Health Columbia, and its associated clinics. With that community investment, T.J. Regional Health now provides healthcare services in Edmonton, Columbia, Greensburg and Russell Springs. Other clinics in the T.J. Regional Health Network are Cave City, Tompkinsville and Scottsville.
Today, more than 90 years after it's inception, T.J. Regional Health encompasses two hospitals, a state-of-the-art outpatient services center and numerous rural health clinics, as well as a 16-bed Skilled Nursing Unit, the Family Medicine Center, Home Care services, and two retail pharmacies to serve the community's needs.