Baldwin Health Hospital celebrated the completion of its latest expansion project with the dedication and opening of the Wayne T. Smith Atrium, which now serves as the hospital’s main entrance and lobby.

The facility opened for patient use Monday, Oct. 20.

The project marks the final stage of a $200 million effort that added a five-story patient tower with surgical facilities, a dedicated women’s and children’s unit, and additional inpatient beds. The South Tower, which opened in fall 2024, expanded inpatient capacity and technology across multiple departments. Together, the South Tower and the Wayne T. Smith Atrium create a stronger, more connected front door to care, supporting Baldwin Health’s growing ability to serve more patients each day.

The Wayne T. Smith Atrium was designed to streamline check-in, improve wayfinding, and enhance the overall patient and visitor experience. The redesigned space includes a flexible classroom and multipurpose area for health education, community programs, and staff training.

“Every feature of this new lobby was designed with our patients in mind,” said Dr. Margaret Roley, chief executive officer of Baldwin Health. “Through the Wayne T. Smith Atrium, we are welcoming our neighbors with dignity, clarity and comfort — opening new doors for learning, connection and healing. This space stands as a daily reminder of our commitment to expanding access, enhancing the patient experience and investing in an environment that fosters both health and human dignity.”

The hospital employs 1,200 staff members and operates a network of medical clinics, providing care through more than 409,000 patient encounters annually.

Foley Mayor Ralph Hellmich praised the new construction while emphasizing the role of hospital staff in the facility’s success.

“This facility reflects what our community is all about,” Hellmich said. “This hospital is one of the finest in the state of Alabama, in the area, and it's because of the people and the quality of care that makes it that way.”

He added that quality healthcare draws residents and visitors to South Baldwin County.

Roley said the expansion was the culmination of a decade of planning.

“We started this discussion about the tower and the hospital 10 years ago,” Roley said. “This is such an incredible, exciting day, to be able to pull all of those pieces together and present today.”

Roley credited both hospital staff and community supporters for making the project possible.

“We will recognize those individuals who inspired us and strengthened us to make sure that the health care that we deliver in Baldwin County is exceptional,” she said. “For those who provide the care. Thank you. We appreciate what you do each and every day. You are the heartbeat of this organization. For many of you, you have practiced in a facility that was built to provide care decades ago, and through those struggles, you still managed to perform at the top level of the healthcare expectation.”

The dedication drew a large turnout from across the community, including members of the Community Health Systems (CHS) Board of Directors, the Baldwin Health Board of Directors, hospital leadership, physicians, staff, and local Chamber of Commerce representatives.

The atrium was named for Wayne T. Smith, chairman of the Board of Directors for CHS, which has operated Baldwin Health since 2000. State Rep. Frances Holk-Jones of Foley, who also chairs the Baldwin Health Board of Directors, presented legislative resolutions to Smith and Roley recognizing their contributions to local healthcare.

Clark Stewart, chair of the Baldwin County Healthcare Authority, said CHS and Smith have helped elevate medical care in the region.

“I believe, and I think many others do, that what CHS has brought to and invested in this hospital over that period of time far exceeds anybody's wildest dreams,” Stewart said. “I could never have imagined this 25 years ago. CHS has continued to invest heavily in our facility. We're standing right in the middle of that right now. It continues to be a great and rock solid relationship.”

Baldwin Health leaders said the atrium reflects the hospital’s mission to deliver health care with compassion, efficiency, and a forward-looking vision for Baldwin County’s future. Foley remains the fastest-growing city in Alabama and among the top 10 fastest-growing cities in the nation, and hospital officials said Baldwin Health is growing with it — expanding access and elevating the experience of care.