History of Harbin Clinic

The first practice location for the two Harbin brothers was on the second floor of the building at 206 Broad St. (adjacent to the current Wyatt’s building). Prospective patients would call from the sidewalk to learn if one or both doctors were in before walking up the stairs.

The forerunners of modern-day ambulances, two low-style buggies, each with a pair of horses and waiting drivers, were always parked on the sidewalk in front of the building, ready to race the doctors to the home of patients in need of medical attention.

The Harbin brothers established the Harbin Hospital in 1908. The original hospital had 12 beds and occupied a former residence at the southeastern corner of Third Avenue and First Street.

In 1919, a new “state-of-the-art” four-story, fire-proof building was constructed next to the original hospital at the cost of $90,000. The original hospital was turned into a dormitory for the nurse training program, established in 1911.

Also in 1919, Harbin Hospital received a philanthropic gift from J. P. Cooper (local cotton broker and founder of Darlington School) of 100 milligrams of radium and a deep X-ray therapy machine, costing $11,000. Very few places in the country at that time offered cancer patients innovative radiation therapy treatment.

In 1920, three additional stories were added to the structure, raising the bed capacity to 75. The seven-story building was Rome’s tallest structure. The building contained every modern convenience of the time, such as vapor heating systems, electric lights, silent call systems, hot and cold running water in each room, linoleum floors, three operating suites, large sun parlors on three floors and a private telephone exchange. The safe-gate elevator ran from the basement to the roof.

In 1921, the Harbin Hospital was recognized by the American College of Surgeons as one of only four hospitals in Georgia to meet the board’s standards of excellence. Georgia Baptist and Grady Hospital in Atlanta and the hospital at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta were the only other Georgia facilities listed.

In 1925, Harbin Hospital’s eighth biennial report told of an innovative orthopedic program that followed the treatment of bone fractures with physiotherapy (known today as physical therapy).

Dr. William Harbin distinguished himself as a surgeon by performing many first-time procedures in Floyd County, including the first Caesarean section, blood matching, blood transfusion and goiter operation. Harbin Hospital bought the first X-ray machine ever owned in Rome and made the first X-ray pictures, including the first dental films.

Dr. Robert Harbin died in 1939, and Dr. William Harbin suffered a fatal heart attack in his office at Harbin Hospital on Nov. 5, 1942.

During the 1930s and 1940s, the third generation of Harbin physicians returned to practice in Rome:

• Dr. Dr. Robert Harbin’s son, Dr. Robert Maxwell Harbin, Jr., returned in 1930.
• Dr. William Harbin’s three sons also returned: Dr. William P. Harbin, Jr. in 1932; Dr. Bannester Lester Harbin, Sr. in 1933; and Dr. Thomas Shelor Harbin, in 1946 after serving in the Navy during World War II.

In 1948, with the expansion of the county-owned facility, Floyd Hospital, to 120 beds, Harbin Hospital was transformed into a medical clinic, where physicians would see and treat patients on an outpatient basis with no overnight care.

The change prompted extensive renovation within the 40-year-old building, including adding an air-conditioning system and tearing down the original Harbin Hospital building to make room for more parking. The Harbin Hospital School of Nursing was also discontinued at this point.

In 1969, a “contemporary” 34,000 square foot building was built on an eight-acre tract obtained from Berry College at the corner of Martha Berry Boulevard and Redmond Road. The new clinic was a joint venture of the staff of the clinic to help meet the growing demand for medical services in the northwest Georgia area. The new building provided office space for 20 doctors and a dentist plus central services and a leased pharmacy operated by Enloe Drug Stores.

Other expansions include:

• In the summer of 2007, Harbin Clinic Specialty Center opened
• The Harbin Clinic Summerville Dialysis Center opened in January 2008
• The Harbin Clinic Cedartown Medical Building opened in the fall of 2008
• The Harbin Clinic Cartersville Medical Center opened in 2008
• In April 2011, Harbin Clinic completed Harbin Clinic Tony E. Warren Cancer Center, a comprehensive state-of-the-art cancer center in Rome. The center is the premier destination for patient-focused cancer care and support services.