Flowers Hospital has served the healthcare needs of the Wiregrass for over 50 years. The facility is not only an important resource for the Dothan community, it also functions as a major referral center for the Tri-State area of south Alabama, southwest Georgia, and northwest Florida.

By combining responsible personnel, modern equipment and supplies, effective management, sophisticated support services, up-to-date professional education programs, and a staff of over 240 physicians, Flowers Hospital is able to assure its patients of quality health care.

Originally opened as a family-operated 12-bed clinic/hospital, Flowers has undergone several subsequent expansions, and in 1983, moved into its current facility. Through its growth, Flowers has remained committed to its mission of "treating our patients as if they were family." Today, Flowers Hospital continues the tradition of maintaining a strong relationship with the community in which it serves.

The sprawling complex that defines Flowers Hospital as a regional medical referral center today bears no resemblance to the tiny 12-bed hospital opened by Dr. Paul Flowers nearly a half century ago in the former Blumberg house on Dothan's West Main Street. Many of the 246 physicians on staff today were not born in 1950, and the technology they routinely use in treating patients was unheard of or largely experimental.

It is fitting that Flowers Hospital began existence in a former home, for the mood was one of family. The doctors, staff, and patients all knew each other. There were no departments. The "Emergency Room" was Dr. Flowers' office. The hospital "Dining Room" was a table in the old Blumberg kitchen and food was prepared by the cooks, Alice Hammond and Votie Satcher, and left on the back of the kitchen stove for self-service. Dr. Flowers' late wife, Grace, planned meals and ordered food daily from Jack Robinson's Grocery. City Drug Company next door to the hospital was the "Pharmacy" and laundry was sent out to Bishop's. In addition to Dr. Flowers, who was trained as an obstetrician and gynecologist, other physicians began using the hospital, including the late Doctors Robert Crawford, William Ball, Percy Hopkins, and Theron McFatter. There were five registered nurses and two practical nurses. Dr. Flowers was joined by the late Dr. Jimmy Jones, OB/GYN, in 1954, and by the late Dr. Davis Haughton, surgeon, in 1956.

"Surgery" and "Labor and Delivery" included one operating room and one delivery room on the second floor on the site of the original sunporch. "Central Sterile" was a 5' x 8' area where the autoclave ran constantly, and surgical instruments were kept in a former kitchen cabinet. An X-ray machine on the first floor comprised "Radiology" and, in those days, the doctors gave anesthesia for each other.

In addition to his medical responsibilities, Dr. Flowers was in charge of hiring and firing. He also signed all the checks and handled personnel problems. Sue Pelham and Susie Hinson were the "Business Office." They manually handled the billing, payroll, and invoices. Nothing was automated. Gradually, the little hospital tripled the number of beds for a grand total of 36. In 1962, Dr. Furnie Johnston moved to Dothan and became the first orthopedic surgeon on staff. In 1963, the late Dr. R. Doss Cleveland, OB/GYN, joined Dr. Flower's practice. By now, patient needs were beginning to exceed the original structure. This increase precipitated the purchase of more land for new construction. An addition to the hospital was opened in 1963 and included a new 60-bed unit, two operating rooms, and two delivery rooms. The kitchen, record room, supply room, storage, and accounting office remained in the old hospital building. In 1969, after almost two decades in existence, a three-story addition was constructed adding 60 more beds. On a Saturday night in May, 1974, fire destroyed the old Blumberg home sill housing the original hospital. As history would later reveal, the fire came to symbolize the end of one era and the beginning of another.