Video: Hilton Head Hospital celebrates 40th anniversary

Bill Bethea, an attorney and a founder of Hilton Head Hospital, and Beryl LaMotte, widow of co-founder Dr. Peter LaMotte, were among the hundreds who celebrated the facility's 40th anniversary on Monday with a special program just outside the building named after Mrs. LaMotte's late husband.

"He would have been greatly honored to be here because he loved this hospital dearly," Mrs. LaMotte said before a ceremonial shoveling of dirt for a tree dedicated to Dr. LaMotte and Bethea.

Dr. Maureen Berrigan, a pediatrician at the hospital, said she has been amazed at the hospital's growth, both literally and figuratively, since she was young and her father, Dr. Thomas Berrigan, practiced there.

"This is pretty exciting that we've made it here for 40 years," she said.

"For many years, we didn't know whether the hospital was going to make it," she added, "and through years and years of hard work, the hospital has blossomed, and I'm just so proud to be here 40 years later."

Hilton Head Hospital is a 93-bed acute care facility that serves Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Okatie and surrounding counties with 600-plus employees, 100 physicians and 200 volunteers, according to hospital officials.

When asked what makes hospital special, Berrigan said, "It seems like it's more of a community. We know everybody. We've grown up together. We're more like a family, really."

For more information, visit www.hiltonheadregional.com.