256 Today’s Mecca Musick spoke with Madison Hospital president Mary Lynn Wright as the hospital celebrates their 10-year anniversary on February 28.
Madison Hospital first opened its doors 10 years ago on February 28, 2012, and since that time has treated more than 41,000 admitted patients, performed more than 35,000 surgeries, and delivered 8,800 babies. Hospital president Mary Lynn Wright has been there since the beginning.
“I’ve spent my entire career with the Huntsville Hospital system, right out of nursing school at the age of 19,” Wright says.
Wright began her career as a bedside nurse.
“I love talking to new staff now about my journey about how I got to where I am,” she says. “I am so very happy that I got to stay at Huntsville Hospital for the entire path that I’ve been on. I am part of the Huntsville Hospital System which is the third largest not-for-profit system in the United States, which is a true testament to what this organization has done.”
Reflecting on the growth of the city of Madison and the building boom that followed the opening of the hospital on Highway 72, Wright says it’s been very rewarding to be able to participate in the tremendous growth and opportunities available now.
“I live in Madison,” she adds. “I’ve been out here for a long time, and when we first moved here that part of 72 was mostly just cotton fields.”
As the city of Madison grows, so do the families living here. The Labor and Delivery program at Madison Hospital has experienced rapid growth. The number of babies delivered annually has more than quadrupled over the past decade – from 254 the first year, 2012, to more than 1,400 a year today.
“Our staff here is second to none when it comes to supporting new moms,” she advises.
Wright says they offer breastfeeding classes, new mom classes, What To Expect While You’re Pregnant classes and lactation coordinators that are internationally certified.
She adds, “And it’s just it’s really a wonderful thing these families who deliver at the hospital keep coming back here for their second, third and even fourth babies.”
In 2018, Madison Hospital underwent an expansion of their ICU unit. Looking back, Wright says she doesn’t know if it was divine intervention or just smart planning but that the expansion was essential in the hospital’s COVID response efforts.
“We have needed every one of those ICU beds in the past two years. COVID has been one of the most challenging periods of health care that I have ever lived through. We even ended up using our previous unit as well during the pandemic because we were full,” she recalls.
Wright also highlights the hospital’s more than 100 physician specialists saying patients can get specialized care right here in Madison.
“We have outstanding specialists that come to Madison Hospital every day to take care of our patients here,’ she emphasizes. “Ten years ago we were transferring Cardiology patients, we were transferring patients that needed a neurologist, now we don’t have to do that. A patient can stay here if they need these higher specialized services.”
Looking back on the past 10 years, Wright says she is most proud of the staff at Madison Hospital.
“We started off with around 340 employees and we’re up to probably 750 now,” she touts. “The staff here are dedicated. They believe in taking it to the next level. They believe in in taking care of our patients and our family members and our visitors. They believe in taking care of each other.”
So what’s next for Madison Hospital?
“Growth.”
Wright says they have built out their shell space, and to expand the hospital will need new construction.
She outlines, “This campus is 25 acres, and it was designed so we can build two more towers on it. We can build what we call the Diagnostic and Treatment Tower which is emergency room, operating room, imaging, and labor and delivery space. That will probably be the first tower built because we are out of space right now. When we designed this facility, we had a lot of shell space that we could grow into. We don’t have any shell space anymore; we are completely built out.”
Wright says Madison Hospital will continue to grow their space and people to meet the needs of the community.
To learn more about employment opportunities at Madison Hospital, visit their career fair, Tuesday, February 22, from 4 -6 pm, in the Madison Hospital lobby.
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