Our goal is to preserve history when possible. It is our desire to work with projects which can re-purpose buildings and spaces which are neglected and abandoned, this often saves valuable time and resources which can be applied in other ways. In-kind donations are appreciated for any project. We will gladly provide a generous tax deductible receipt.
Haisten’s Hospital Property
In October 2019, My Brother’s Keeper Service Center of Georgia acquired the historic Haisten Building in Griffin, Georgia with the goal of preserving the history of early western medicine with a school of nursing. The hospital was built in 1910 and housed a school of nursing and residence quarters for nurses.
In the early 1900’s, hospitals were established for many reasons…one of which included an attempt at decreasing maternal and fetal death during childbirth. Community hospitals encouraged mothers to deliver their babies in a clean environment with midwives and physicians to decrease complications such as infection.
Nursing history is important for people to see the evolution of one of the oldest and primarily female dominated professions in the world. Nursing is the largest licensed body of professionals today. The school of nursing was located on the second floor. Nurses lived at the hospital and cared for patients 24/7/365. Nurses were responsible for everything in the hospital, including patient care feeding, bathing and medication administration as well as the functions of the hospital which included housekeeping, laundry and food preparation and delivery…nurses did it all. It’s also important to remember that gas, not electricity was the main energy used for lighting and cooking. Laundry, bed linens and clothing were washed, laundered and ironed by hand.
We feel it is important to maintain this nursing and medical history while re-purposing this building into a functional, viable and maintainable asset for the community and nurses today and for future generations.
Plans for this site include:
- Office space for cognitive health services and assessments
- Suicide prevention training
- Senior call center for phone wellness check on the disabled and seniors
- Medication assistance program for disabled individuals
- Food pantry to serve emergency food needs through the redistribution of food including: children’s backpack program and senior care
- A chapel ideal for weddings, funerals and reunions
- End of life counseling
- Education and workshops
- Medical wellness program
- Lodging
Let’s build something together.
My Brother's Keeper Service Center of Georgia 