The history of medicine in Kansas City dates back to 1870, seventeen years after the city's incorporation, when the first hospital arose in what is now the Hospital Hill neighborhood. The evolution of hospitals and medical instruction often included facilities constructed in Hospital Hill, including the recent erection of Children's Mercy Research Institute. Its windows and lighting system mimics the DNA mutations and sequences of genetic anomalies found in patients with rare diseases. The lighting speaks to the profound advancement of medical science from 1870 to the twenty-first century.
Wheatley-Provident Hospital opened in 1918 as Kansas City's first hospital for African American residents in the era of segregation. Construction of this building occurred in 1902 for St. Joseph's Parochial School before its conversion to a hospital that became one of the cornerstones of the city's Black Communities. The hospital's origins also date back to 1902, the year when J. Edward Perry established a hospital and training school for nurses. Known as the Perry Sanitarium in 1910, that institution provided a place for training and employing doctors and nurses in addition to providing the first place where people of color could reliably receive healthcare in an era when hospitals largely barred access to African Americans, sometimes even denying or delaying service in cases where life-saving medical intervention was needed. With the support of Kansas City organizations and philanthropists, Dr. Perry moved his organization to this building which served as the home of Wheatley-Provident hospital from 1918 until 1972. After the 1970s, the building was used as a haunted house before eventually falling into disrepair. A group recently purchased the building to save it from the wrecking ball and they hope to restore the building and return it to service to the community. As a result, the brick building survives as a lasting reminder not only of segregation and exclusion, but also the vital role of Black institutions that served the people of Kansas City.
Dr. Alice Berry Graham, together with her sister Dr. Katherine Berry Richardson, devoted their lives to providing access to medical care for children of all backgrounds in Kansas City and founded the institution that grew into Children's Mercy Hospital. Dr. Alice Berry Graham was the eldest of the two founders, and in recognition of her expertise and effort that led to the development, growth, and success of Children's Mercy until her death at the age of 63 in 1913, her sister insisted that this building, which was home to the hospital from 1917 to 1970, include this cornerstone which recognized the work of her later sister. With a background in multiple areas of the country, and with her sister by her side, Dr. Graham brought a necessary practice to Kansas City in a time where medical care for children had not been a top priority. The care she bestowed upon others, as well as her diligent spirit, lives on in the Children's Mercy Hospital to this day.
General Hospital was completed in 1908 to accommodate Kansas City's growth and the increased reliance by the public on hospitals for medical care. As more people relied on hospitals for medical care, local citizens began an effort to secure public funding for a new hospital and voters approved a bond issue of $225,000 in 1903. Two years later, Colonel Thomas Swope donated 4.5 acres of land atop a hill between Gillham and current-day Kenwood. While constructing the architects realized that the original cost estimates fell short for the hospital to meet the needs of the city. They doubled the beds which doubled the cost. Swope's donation of this land for medical care led to more facilities being constructed in the area and soon the area was known as "Hospital Hill." With newer and larger hospitals being constructed throughout the city, Hospital Hill became home to additional facilities, including Truman Medical Center in 1976, the same year General Hospital served its last patients. The former hospital was demolished in the early 1990s despite efforts by preservationists who hoped at least part of the historic hospital could be repurposed to fit the needs of the city once again.
University Health is located at Hospital Hill is also know as the University Health Center. The medical center is also the successor to General Hospital. And University Health's predecessor was Truman Medical Center. The current president and chief of University Health is Charlie Shields.[2] The hospital has recived numerous awards with Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), The KC Chamber Champion of Diversity Award just to name a few. [1]
Cabot West side Health Center in Kansas City was one that made many firsts for the city, such as in 1918 they "it issued the first birth certificates to babies born in the city. It initiated the first health exams for school-children on the West Side." [1] The health center was a section from Saint Luke's Hospital.
Founded in 1874 by the Sisters Of St. Joseph of Carondelet and known for its long tradition of providing high quality care. It has a Catholic Heritage and is still present in modern times. The hospital was sold in 2015 to its current owner Prime Healthcare.St.Joseph's Medical Center also houses the "Center For Pharmaceutical Research Center" where various vaccine and other health conditions' research are open for the public to apply for. The medical center also provides care ranging from normal wound care, to breast cancer checks.The old hospital has been granted many awards and recognition for the quality healthcare that they provide.
Established in 1882, St. Luke’s Hospital has grown into one of the largest hospital systems in the Midwest with over sixteen locations that serve 67 counties centered around Kansas City. This hospital system, which now employs over twelve thousand, began when Reverend David Jardine called a meeting at his church and asked business and civic leaders to support the establishment of a hospital. That original facility operated for eleven years and was followed by a hospital operated by the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri. The hospital remains non-profit and is operated by a board of directors with the bishop of the diocese serving as the chairman of that board.
Established in 1971 as the Westport Free Health Clinic, KC Care Health Clinic strives to provide promote health and wellness by offering services to area residents that include HIV prevention, behavioral health, primary care services, and dentistry. The clinic began with only volunteers and donations, operating out of the lobby of the Alcazar Hotel. Over the past fifty years, the clinic has grown to include full-time and part-time staff and significant grant funding.
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Kansas City is home to many hospitals and each have a unique history. All of the hospitals listed either still currently exist or have been decommissioned and are now apart of history.
