Dosher CEO Lynda Stanley takes the podium at the 2025 Community Cookout. Dosher CEO Lynda Stanley takes the podium at the 2025 Community Cookout.
Dosher Celebrates 96 years of Community Healthcare
This year, Dosher Memorial Hospital of Southport looks forward to celebrating their birthday with patients, staff, volunteers, neighbors, and friends, as the first hospital established in Brunswick County turns 96 years old. The hospital, which was founded by its namesake, Dr. J. Arthur Dosher, was built after Dosher staged a persistent campaign on the state, county, and municipal levels to improve access to healthcare for local citizens.
In the 1920’s, Brunswick County was a rural, economically depressed area, served by two physicians, Dr. William Goley of Shallotte and Dr. J. Arthur Dosher of Southport. These doctors frequently traveled up to 200 miles a week by horse and buggy to treat patients. Dosher saw how the lack of centralized healthcare contributed to disease and high mortality rates in the county and felt compelled to advocate to change this. Dosher worked with the newly established Brunswick County Health Department, county commissioners, and the city of Southport to help raise funds through grants, tax levies and bond referendums to support the construction of the hospital. Brunswick County Hospital, later renamed for its founder, opened to the public on June 2, 1930, with Dr.'s Dosher and Goley as the two members of the medical staff and five additional support personnel.
Dosher has expanded to a team of over 500 people, including its Board of Trustees, Leadership Team, staff members, support personnel, physicians, and volunteers. Said Dosher CEO Lynda Stanley, “We are very proud of our legacy, and for the opportunity we have to honor Dr. Dosher’s vision by providing comprehensive, compassionate, extraordinary care to every person every day.” In addition to its Emergency Department and a 25-bed patient care unit, the Dosher healthcare system provides a wide spectrum of hospital-based services including cardiac rehab, wound care, diagnostic imaging, physical, speech, and occupational therapy, general surgeries, and a comprehensive joint replacement program. Dosher also provides primary care and women’s healthcare through five satellite clinic locations.
Within the Dosher organization lives an ever-present vision to move healthcare forward. This culture of continuous improvement is what catalyzed the commencement of Phase 1 of Dosher’s 7-year Master Facility Plan, which includes hospital renovations, clinic expansions, and the construction of a new 8,000 square foot emergency department, which opened in December, 2025. “We are committed to meeting the needs of our growing service area,” said Stanley. “The opening of our new ED is the most visible example of recent infrastructure expansions.” However, Stanley emphasizes that the modernized buildings have little value without the patient driven staff behind their walls. Said Stanley, “What we are most proud of is the compassionate and high-quality care our team delivers to every patient every day. Our five-star patient satisfaction rating exemplifies their commitment.”
In addition to providing life saving care for southeastern Brunswick County, the estimated economic impact of Dosher, based on a 2024 report from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is $95.8 million. This data accounts for over 470 direct jobs of individuals employed by Dosher in addition to indirect jobs funded by hospital purchases spent within the community. Said CEO Stanley, “We are grateful for the care we can provide for this area while also making meaningful contributions to its economic development and growth.”
Dosher plans to celebrate the anniversary of the hospital on Saturday June 6th at their fifth annual Community Cookout. The cookout, whose theme this year is, “Together We Thrive,” includes lunch, dessert, and music and will take place from 11:30am-1:30pm at the front entrance of the hospital. All are welcome, and there is no charge to attend. Said Stanley, “The cookout has become a much-anticipated annual event, where we celebrate how together with our community, we are building a healthier future for all.”
Pre-registration is not required but is appreciated. Go to Dosher.org/birthday, or call 910-457-3900 for more information or to RSVP.
An early photo of Brunswick County Hospital, later renamed for its founder, Dr. J. Arthur Dosher.