When Knoxville’s East Tennessee Baptist Hospital was first proposed in 1943, the city was in dire need of more hospital beds. Higher than anticipated costs made fundraising a challenge.
It turned out financial challenges didn’t just define the hospital’s origins. They would be the institution’s downfall, too, ultimately leading to its closure in August 2008.
The period in between wasn’t so bleak. Baptist Hospital was a bustling cornerstone of health care in Knoxville for the majority of its 60 years, with countless patients treated there during that time.
The hospital also brought thousands of jobs to the city. In the spring of 1989, the hospital employed more than 2,000 people, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported on April 30, 1989.
Bringing health care to East Tennessee
The idea for a Baptist Hospital was reported ahead of the October 1943 Knox County Baptist Association convention, where initial conversations regarding the hospital were expected to be had, the News Sentinel reported Oct. 10, 1943.