Historical marker unveiled for HCA Healthcare’s 50th anniversary

On the morning of Friday, December 7, members of the HCA Healthcare family gathered to celebrate our company’s rich 50-year history in Nashville by unveiling a historical marker at the site of the original HCA Healthcare headquarters.

The original headquarters was a small home located near HCA Healthcare’s first hospital, Park View, which is now the campus of TriStar Centennial Medical Center. Senior vice president of investor relations & government affairs, Vic Campbell, interviewed with the company 46 years ago in that house. At the historical marker presentation, Campbell reminisced about the first time he visited the headquarters.

“In May of 1972, I came down to Nashville for an interview; I was 25 years old,” Campbell said. “I asked the cab driver to take me to the corporate headquarters of the Hospital Corporation of America. Next thing I know, he’s pulling up to this blue and white hospital.”

“I said, ‘No, no, no – I want to go to the corporate headquarters, not the hospital,’” Campbell continued. “And I’ll never forget it. He turned around, looked at me and said, ‘Son, that’s it,’ while pointing to a little white house sitting right here.”

Vic Campbell

Fifty years later, HCA Healthcare’s corporate headquarters has outgrown the small, white house that sat on the corner of 25^th Avenue and Patterson St., but we’ve maintained our family-centric spirit, foundation of shared values and dedication to our company’s mission of caring for and improving human life.

In addition to Campbell, event speakers included Heather J. Rohan, president of HCA Healthcare’s TriStar Division; Scott Cihak, CEO of TriStar Centennial Medical Center; and Dr. Karl VanDevender, an HCA Healthcare physician of 36 years. All spoke about the impact HCA Healthcare has had in their lives and the community.

“To me, the greatest prosperity [of Nashville] is not just the jobs and the economy, but it’s the people who’ve been attracted to Nashville who provide a wonderful fabric to our population,” Dr. VanDevender said. “Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. It’s up to us, and to those who are new here, to determine where we are in the story. I like to think we’re still at the beginning, and another monument will be put out here in 50 years to commemorate HCA Healthcare’s everlasting values.”

Thank you to our HCA Healthcare family and the city of Nashville for supporting and upholding our company’s mission throughout the last 50 years, and for allowing us to call Nashville home for years to come. For more on the historical marker celebration, visit the Nashville Business Journal here.

Heather Rohan (center), Vic Campbell (right), pose with HCA Healthcare co-founder Dr. Tommy Frist Jr.

HCA Healthcare 50th Anniversary
In 1968, HCA Healthcare was conceived by two physicians and an accomplished business leader — Dr. Thomas Frist Sr., Dr. Thomas Frist Jr., and Jack Massey. This year, HCA Healthcare celebrates its golden anniversary and the culture of caring established by our three founders 50 years ago. To help us celebrate our 50th year, we’ll share stories here that reflect HCA Healthcare’s mission – above all else, the care and improvement of human life – and our pledge to improve life and make history for the next 50 years and beyond.