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PUBLIC
1846, when the United States joined the Republic of Texas to form
the State of Texas, the United States Army moved in to San Antonio
as a force to protect the border. They leased the Alamo from the
Catholic Church as a military depot and quartermaster center until
1872 when it was returned to the church. The Army had restored
considerable portions of the Alamo. The Catholic Church sold it
to the State of Texas for $20,000, who in turn turned it over to the
Daughters of the Republic of Texas in 1905. Restoration was com-
pleted in 1935. Thus, the Alamo, the first hospital in Texas, has had
a long and varied history.
During the interval of the Republic of Texas, eventual statehood,
and up until the civil war, there was no hospital in San Antonio. In
1869, in response to a second cholera epidemic in San Antonio, the
Bishop in Galveston, who’s Diocese covered all of Texas, sent three
nuns from the Galveston House of the Sisters of Charity of the
Incarnate Word to San Antonio. This order ran the St. Mary’s In-
firmary in Galveston. On arriving in San Antonio, the three sisters
were notified that a building that had been erected for their use had
burned down. With eight months of hard work, they completed a
small hospital, which was named Santa Rosa Infirmary, which
opened Sept. 3, 1869. This was the first private hospital in San An-
tonio. It was devoted to the medical care of the poor. Every physi-
cian was encouraged to send his patients for care to the hospital,
whether paying or charity. At this time, the population of San An-
tonito was 12,000. Upon opening, nine beds were available. On the
first day, eight became occupied. Admissions rapidly increased and
the hospital became inadequate. The sisters then occupied a build-
ing on West Houston Street, which eventually became the perma-
nent location. This structure had 500 beds and was served by 12
sisters and 6 novices as staff.
In 1900, Santa Rosa became the primary medical facility in the area.
It admitted all the ill in need, especially the children. In 1903, they Bexar County Hospital which was to assume the role of inpatient
opened a school of nursing. In, 1915, they opened the first free clinic care previously provided by the Green. Construction of the Uni-
in San Antonio outside the hospital. In 1922, 3,383 cases were admit-
ted to the infirmary. Of that number, 10 percent were classed as char-
ity cases and 12 percent were partial pay. In 1935, it became the first University Health System today includes more than two dozen lo-
hospital in Texas to install air conditioning. By 1940, 6,000 patients
were admitted annually with no regard to religion or ability to pay.
Now known as Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital, many
changes have occurred. With the rising pediatric population, it is now
joined with Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor University College
of Medicine to form a completely devoted children’s hospital.
Of special interest is the opening of the Robert B. Green Me-
morial Hospital in 1917. There is an excellent article about this hos-
FINANCING
pital presented in San Antonio Medicine in the July 2017 issue writ-
ten by Don Finley. For several years prior to the establishment of
the Green Hospital, indigent care had bene provided by a small San
Antonio City Hospital. Endless financial and structural problems
were encountered and by 1915, the community leaders decided to
tear down that hospital at North Leona and Morales and build a
new facility on the same site. It was financed by a bond issue by the
county and city totaling $250,000. Completed in February 2017,
partly financed by the Joske family (owners of Joske’s department
store in downtown San Antonio). Due to the generally high mor-
bidity and mortality among members in the Hispanic area of San
Antonio and high infant mortality rate, a new highly functional hos-
pital to care for the indigent patients was badly needed.
The first patient admitted (Feb. 2, 1917) was a woman suffering from
salpingitis. The second admitted was a woman with third degree burns.
In 1918, during the influenza pandemic, Green treated 600 inpatient
cases of flu and pneumonia with a low mortality rate (for that era) of
21 percent. The hospital rapidly became the provider of medical care
for the indigent patients, immigrants, and victims of trauma. It should
be noted that the first hospital contained 200 beds.
The institution struggled for lack of funds and partially shut
down in 1947, reopening in 1948. In 1955, the community formed
the Bexar County Hospital District and with the access to property
taxes, the conditions stabilized. In 1965, a $5 million expansion of
Robert B. Green Hospital occurred followed in 1977 by the addition
of the Brady Clinic to the Green forming the Brady/Green Com-
munity Health Center. It still stands as part of the Robert B. Green
Campus, a Multispecialty Comprehensive Outpatient Center seeing
130,000 patients a year.
In December 1965, construction commenced on the $15 million
versity of Texas Medical School of San Antonio soon followed
(now called UT Health San Antonio). Both opened in 1968. The
cations being a primary teaching facility of the health center, a level
1 trauma center, many highly rated inpatient services, and a separate
center dedicated to diabetes research and treatment.
San Antonito can be extremely proud of its long history of insti-
tutions dedicated to the treatment of the indigent of our great city
and county.
J.J. Waller Jr., MD, is a member of the BCMS Communications/Publica-
tions Committee.
visit us at www.bcms.org 19