Duke University Health System

The Duke University Health System, combines the Duke University School of Medicine, the Duke University School of Nursing, the Duke Clinic, and the member hospitals into a system of research, clinical care, and education.

Duke University Hospital
The Duke University Medical Center is located in Durham, NC and affiliated with Duke University. Formerly known as the Duke University Hospital and Medical School, it was established in 1930 with a bequest from James B. Duke. The Medical Center now occupies 7.5 million square feet (700,000 m²) in 90 buildings on 210 acres (850,000 m²). It is consistently ranked among the top ten health care organizations in the United States. In 2007, U.S.News & World Report ranked Duke University Medical Center 7th-best medical center in the United States from among 5,462 medical centers. The Duke Clinic is located next to the Duke Medical Center and provides access to numerous specialties and outpatient services.

In 1925, James B. Duke made a $4 million bequest to establish the Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Hospital to improve health care in the Carolinas and the United States. This money was used to begin construction on the Duke Hospital and Medical School in 1927. On July 21, 1930, the hospital opened its doors to patients. On its first day, 17 of its 400 beds were filled. In 1936, Julian Deryl Hart, a Duke surgeon introduced ultraviolet lights in the operating rooms to kill airborne germs. In 1956, Duke surgeons were the first to use systemic hypothermia during cardiac surgery. This is now standard practice worldwide. The Medical School and Hospital were renamed the Duke University Medical Center in 1957. The first African American student was admitted to the Duke University School of Medicine in 1963. In 1969, the first recorded studies of human's abilities to function and work at pressures equal to a 1,000 foot deep sea dive were conducted. In the 1990s, Duke geneticists invented a three minute test to screen newborns for over 30 metabolic diseases at once. This test is now used throughout the United States. Duke's first lung transplant and heart/lung transplant were conducted in 1992.

Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center
Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center is a hospital providing healthcare for children from birth through young adulthood. The hospital includes a neonatal intensive care unit and a pediatric intensive care unit. The McGovern-Davison Children's Health Center, housed within the hospital, provides outpatient care in more than 28 pediatric medical and surgical specialties. Duke Children's also offers primary care at several locations within Durham County.

The Duke Children's Miracle Network raises unrestricted funds for Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center through Children's Miracle Network. Funds are used to support research, clinical care, and family support programs.

Durham Regional Hospital
Durham Regional Hospital provides inpatient, outpatient, surgical and emergency care and features a level II intensive care nursery, Durham Regional Rehabilitation Institute and the Davis Ambulatory Surgical Center. Newborn care at Durham Regional Hospital is provided by physicians from Duke Children's Hospital.

Previously, the hospital has been named Lincoln Hospital and Watts Hospital.

Duke Raleigh Hospital
Duke Raleigh Hospital (DRH) has been a member of the Duke University Health System family since 1998. Christened "Mary Elizabeth Hospital" when it opened its doors in 1914, it was later renamed Raleigh Community Hospital and, in 1978, moved to the current Wake Forest Road location. The hospital has 186 beds and over 500 physicians on the medical staff. Newborn care at Duke Health Raleigh Hospital is provided by physicians from Duke Children's Hospital. Duke Children's Consultative Services of Raleigh provides services from Duke Children's Hospital as well.

In 2004, the hospital mistakenly used hydraulic fluid instead of detergents to sterilize surgical instruments. Over 3,800 patients received letters informing them of their possible exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.