New services continued to be offered as Baptist Memorial Hospital became an established center for advanced medical care in Oklahoma City. By 1965, more than 50,000 patients had been admitted, and 9,000 babies had been born at the hospital. The introduction of Medicare in 1965 further boosted the need for health care services, spurring additional plans to meet that need.

After two years of construction, the hospital’s West Tower expansion was complete, adding four floors and almost doubling the number of patient beds to 376. In the new rooms, patients enjoyed more comfort and privacy with adjustable beds and en suite bathrooms.

Additional space also opened for the hospital’s first intensive care unit, outpatient clinics, occupational and physical therapy, surgical and obstetric departments, laboratory facilities, and a 23-bed psychiatric unit. The Doctor’s Medical Building also expanded, adding six additional stories and greatly increasing the space needed for physicians to practice on the hospital campus.

As patient load continued to increase, the hospital’s governing board began planning for future needs. Donald S. Kennedy, a member of the governing board and president of Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co., was instrumental in these efforts.

In 1971, Dr. T.B. Lackey retired as executive secretary-treasurer of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and was succeeded by Joe L. Ingram, who continued to support the hospital’s mission in Oklahoma City.

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