By 1980, 21 years after it opened, Baptist Medical Center had become one of Oklahoma’s most prominent health care institutions. The campus included five structures, and as new medical technologies were introduced it kept up the pace of innovation.

More than 300 medical and dental specialists now practiced at Baptist Medical Center, and more than 1,800 people total worked at BMC. New technologies were introduced as they became available, such as digital subtraction angiography, an outpatient procedure that screens for blood clots and blockages in blood vessels.

Cancer treatments also took leaps forward as the intensive oncology program introduced procedures such as the Infusaid pump, which, when implanted surgically, delivered highly concentrated amounts of medication.

Another significant innovation at BMC in 1980 was the introduction of Labor-Delivery-Recovery (LDR) suites, allowing families to fully participate in the birthing experience. The new suites increased comfort and privacy in a home-like setting. In addition, the Women’s Health Center added a state-of-the-art Neonatal Unit for premature babies.

New construction continued, as it had for the previous two decades. In 1981, Oklahoma City attorney James Paul “Jimmy” Linn donated the funds to complete a three-floor addition to the Special Care Tower. Volunteers continued to contribute increasing amounts of time and money as the hospital grew.

The year 1982 was heralded by a new Pediatric Unit, which opened in January with a hallway parade of clowns, nurses dressed in animal costumes and balloons. The unit was decorated to appeal to children, and the intensive care nursery was updated to allow for constant monitoring of all five cribs. 

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