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About Columbus Regional Healthcare System
 Columbus Regional Healthcare System stands as a living tribute to the dedication of Dr. Warren Edwin Miller to the medical profession. Through his work, Columbus County Hospital, a private hospital was established, outgrown, replaced, renovated several times, replaced again and currently operates as Columbus Regional Healthcare System. With 70 years of serving the citizens of Columbus County, CRHS continues to grow and develop. The goal of Columbus Regional Healthcare System has always been and still is, to provide a facility suitable for delivering high quality health care to the citizens of Columbus County and the surrounding areas.
Dr. Miller’s first hospital opened May 5, 1935, in a home he leased and later bought along with the 4.1 acres that surrounded it. The hospital had a 12-patient capacity. The living room was transformed into the doctor’s operating room and patients were carried up and down the winding staircase by muscular attendants. Dr. Miller placed an ad in a medical journal, hoping to find a qualified nurse. Miss Edna Webster, a native of Toronto, Canada, who was working in a New York hospital, responded. Miss Webster later became Mrs. Edwin Miller. A dream had come true: Columbus County now had a hospital with a caring and capable surgeon, and an expert assistance from a trained nurse.
 By 1936, the hospital’s porches were enclosed to accommodate more patient beds., bringing the total number to 26. Still not having enough room for the sick, Dr. Miller realized that he must seek another alternative.
In 1937, the Duke Foundation recommended the hospital develop a non-profit corporation and establish a board of trustees. The hospital was granted a $1.00 per patient day from the foundation for indigent patients. The non-profit leasing corporation now, as it did then, directs the business affairs of the hospital. Columbus County owns all hospital property and leases it to the non-profit corporation, which is directed by the CRHS Board of Trustees.
In 1938, a fund drive for a new hospital began, with the passage of a $55,000 bond issue. The bond funds plus contribution and assistance from the Duke Endowment brought the total to $100,000. In March of 1940, the new 60 bed hospital was completed.
In 1954, the hospital further expanded to bring the bed capacity to 85. In the dedication ceremony on January 29 of that year, Dr. Miller called the hospital “a monument to humanity”.
The current “monument to humanity” was dedicated on December 11, 1977, and has continued to grow and develop into a modern health care facility with 154 private patient rooms. We are proud of our progress and thankful for Dr. Miller’s vision and the support of our community that made it a reality.
In 2005, Columbus Regional Healthcare System underwent a renovation project to update our facility. During this project 3 new centers were established. For those battling cancer, The Donayre Cancer Care Center, is a state of the art facility where patients can receive chemotherapy services without having to travel out of the area for treatment. The Birthing Center where expectant mothers can enjoy the comfort of the hospital’s newly renovated Labor/Delivery/Recovery rooms and the latest in pain management including epidural and The Imaging Center with its new state of the art open-air MRI.
Today, Columbus Regional Healthcare System boasts an impressive and highly trained medical staff and other healthcare professionals that represent a range of specialties and are dedicated to the well-being of every patient in their care. Enhancing Care, Enriching lives………
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