70 Years of Caring at Saline Memorial Hospital
By Cody Berry
On Friday, June 20, Kari Lapp and I went to a private event at Saline Memorial Hospital celebrating its 70 years of history. There was a very special ceremony led by Saline Health System CEO Char Boulch and County Judge Matt Brumley. During the ceremony we were taken on a walk down memory lane from the hospital’s opening in 1955 to today. Judge Brumley read a lengthy proclamation about the hospital before speaking about his own experience working at SMH prior to running for office. And Boulch said that Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders sent a proclamation naming June 26, 2025, as “Saline Memorial Hospital Appreciation Day.”
Saline Memorial Hospital opened on June 26, 1955, with just 43 beds, 25 employees, and 8 physicians. Now, the hospital has 177 beds and more than 850 team members.1 At the event, Kari and I met Azy Crabb, the hospital’s first registered nurse, and even its first set of triplets delivered at the hospital. Mrs. Crabb was one of the nurses there who was presented with a white rose by members of the Arkansas Nurse’s Honor Guard. White roses symbolize several things, including purity and innocence. But they also represent respect, reverence, and remembrance, which I think was the intention here.2 I nearly cried when Mrs. Crabb received her rose, and I even captured the moment on camera. Those moments really make history come to life for me.
After the ceremony, we all moved to the hospital lobby where we witnessed the unveiling of a new historical timeline wall. The Gann Museum contributed to the project by researching and providing photos to be displayed on the wall. Saline Memorial Hospital may have a long history, but it is not the county’s first hospital. The Bauxite Hospital was built way before 1955.
Citations:
1 Char Boulch, “Saline Health System celebrates its 70th anniversary,” Saline Courier, May 30, 2025, https://www.bentoncourier.com/news/saline-health-system-celebrates-its-70th-anniversary/article_48f18ab1-dd7b-4e30-9641-83fb56f595c1.html, Date Accessed June 21, 2025.
2 “White Roses Meaning: From Romance to Remembrance,” Gardenia.net, https://www.gardenia.net/guide/white-roses-meaning-why-they-are-perfect-for-every-occasion, Date Accessed 6/24/2025.