Who We Are

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1981 to raise funds for the first patient tower at BMH which opened in 1987.  Since then, the BMH Foundation has grown and established many worthy projects and raised millions of dollars, all to assist the hospital, its employees and most important of all - the patients.

BMH owes its existence to a group of prominent local civic leaders and healthcare professionals who led a community-wide campaign in the early 1950's to build a new community hospital.  These citizens solicited donations door-to-door and neighbor-to-neighbor to raise $1.5 million to build a 121-bed hospital.  Their vision transformed a dusty, empty 17-acre lot into a field of dreams where people in Kern County would benefit from the best healthcare services available.  This drive led to the opening of the original Greater Bakersfield Memorial Hospital on September 15, 1956, our community's only locally owned, not-for-profit hospital.  Funding generated through the Greater Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Association, also a not-for-profit organization, contributed to the development of this valuable and beloved community institution.

As a result of sustained local support, BMH has continued to grow to meet the needs of the community.  Numerous expansion and remodeling projects were completed through the years, culminating in 1989 with the construction of a six-story patient care tower and a single story birthing center.  In 2009, BMH opened an additional patient care tower and expanded NICU.  Bakersfield Memorial Hospital is a 418-bed acute care medical center offering a full range of services including the Central California Heart Institute, cardiovascular, neurological/neurosurgical and orthopedic services, a nationally certified Stroke Center, expanded maternity and family care, Children's Medical Center, 24-hour emergency care and general/outpatient surgery.