On April 29, 1944, my mother was admitted to Memorial Hospital in Springfield where I was born.

I was the first in my line to be born in a medical facility. There is a house up on Salt Creek in Menard County where my father was born. As was my grandfather. And my great grandfather. It began as a small cabin in the 1830s. The walls of the two front rooms still contain the original logs.

It was a normal delivery, after which they kept us in the hospital for 10 days. That was routine back then. Now the goal is in and out in 24 hours. Cost is severely limited and the risk of contacting infection is significantly lower.

In fact much has changed. No more nurses in white caps and starchy gowns. Now they wear scrubs, which look much more comfortable. I have been here for weeks, so I have had plenty of time to observe.

I was in here six years ago for bypass surgery and things have changed in just that time. My bypass surgery was an amazing procedure. Contrast that with the treatment given to President Eisenhower in the ’50s. The man who conquered Europe as the leader of the free world, the president of the world’s most powerful nation, was treated by being kept warm.

I served on the Certificate of Need board when this new Memorial facility was proposed. The staff of that board meticulously reviews all plans for the construction and modification of hospitals, assuring that the proposal meets state standards. Based on that report the board votes yes or no to allow the project.

When Memorial proposed this project about five years ago they promised a wonderful new addition. They were right. The new space is stunningly beautiful. Maintenance looks good because the place is well planned. The layout is efficient.

In the past couple of years, due in large part to the Affordable Care Act, there has been a great expansion and modernizing of hospitals across Illinois. One feature of every plan has been the demise of the semi-private room. When I first went into Cook County Hospital on business in the ’90s they still had huge open wards for patients. It was dreadful. Today even they have shifted to private rooms.

When I was here for bypass surgery, the room was tiny. It was hard to move the hightech equipment in and out and frustrating for the staff to move about. I was claustrophobic the entire time. The new rooms are spacious and calming and moving equipment in and out goes smoothly. Morale is high.

This facility was once small. It has become a large sprawling complex of buildings. And what was a single hospital has grown into a complex system with hospitals, services and physician practices in small towns throughout central Illinois. It seems to be well managed at all levels.

I have used Springfield Clinic since its founding. In the old days when I was sick we called the GP and Dr. Harry Grant came to my house. He was a wonderful man. Later, when I ran the Disability Determine Service we built a new conference room and named it after him for his years of service as the head physician of that federal program. I remember that those visits cost $7.

My physicians from Springfield Clinic are a diverse group of young people. They have trained all over the world. At SIU, at Washington University and in London, for example. They are all positive, patient and they welcome questions. They, like the hospital staff, never enter the room without telling me exactly what they are doing and why.

So I am in this wonderful facility with these terrific people. Getting better every day. I thank God every day that I wasn’t one of those Bradleys on the hardscrabble farm in pioneer days.

I am on a clear liquid diet. So my greatest joy each day is Popsicles for breakfast. Eat your hearts out kids.

Phil Bradley of Chatham can’t possibly say enough good things about Springfield Clinic, Memorial Health System and their people.