alf a century ago, a little hospital opened on the
outskirts of San Antonio. Some jokingly referred to
it as “Boerne General Hospital.” Others scoffed that
it would never make it because no one would travel
that far out into the country for medical services.
✦
Yet half a century later, the hospital on the hill has
grown greatly in size as well as in number of employees
and people served—not to mention that Methodist
Hospital was the impetus for the growth of the South
Texas Medical Center.
When the doors opened on September 26, 1963, the hospital was four stories high
with two levels below ground. Built at the height of the Cold War, Methodist Hospital
was the world’s first nuclear-age hospital, meaning it could serve as a fallout shelter in
case of nuclear attack. All essential services were placed on two floors built deep un-
derground. Today, the hospital has 10 floors above ground and continues to maintain
two levels underground, where you’ll find operating suites and radiology, laboratory,
pharmacy and food services.
The following is a comparison of some of the important statistics from the hospital’s
opening year to the most recent annual statistics available:
Facts
1963–64
2012*
Patients admitted
3,787
36,760
Total patient days
22,810
188,846
Births
640
5,135
Surgeries performed
1,840
25,191
Emergency room visits
1,659
157,370
Bed capacity
175
882
Employees
272
3,538
*2012 figures include Methodist Hospital and its campuses at Methodist
Heart Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital.
golden
Methodist Hospital’s
anniversary
50
years of Serving
Humanity to Honor God
Celebrating
In a 50th anniversary celebration held at the hospital, the longest-tenured employ-
ees, physicians and volunteers were recognized for their service, while community
leaders recognized the pioneering role the hospital played in the development of the
South Texas Medical Center.
HUMBL B GINNINGS
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff recalled the origins of the hospital in 1954, when
business strategists led by the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the Bexar County
Medical Society learned the city was lacking in hospital beds and would not be able
to handle a mass casualty situation or an epidemic. The Southwest Conference of the
Methodist Church was approached to administer the hospital with ties to the church,
and an agreement was reached in 1955.
“It was important to these visionaries to find land for not just a single hospital but
for an entire medical complex,” said Judge Wolff. “Our community will forever be in-
debted to the vision and bravery demonstrated by these individuals who stepped out
in faith to build a thriving and successful medical complex.”
Today the biomedical field is the city’s leading employer and economic driver. One
of every 5 San Antonio employees works in the bioscience and health care industry.
“I’m in awe of the legacy of those leaders who came before me, those who had a vi-
sion for a Methodist hospital surrounded by enough land for development of a thriving
medical center,” said Jaime Wesolowski, president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare
System.
“We saw the visionary spirit again 20 years ago when leaders of the hospital de-
cided that in the rapidly changing health care landscape, a single hospital might not
fare very well,” continued Wesolowski. “As a result, when Methodist Hospital became
part of the Methodist Healthcare System, a family of hospitals was born, co-owned by
a newly founded nonprofit, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, and HCA. The Ministries
shares our mission of
Serving Humanity to Honor God
. Receiving half the profits of
MHS, Methodist Healthcare Ministries has become the largest non-profit source for
HONORING SERVICE: Methodist Hospital’s longest-tenured employees, physician and
volunteers attended a special luncheon in their honor on September 26, 2013. From
left to right: Janie Ochoa; Norbert Cantu; Robert Schorlemer, MD; Nancy Burrell,
RN; Ian Shawcross; Oralia Martinez; and Blue Bird volunteers Barbara Ringen and
Maxine Haas.
K E E P I N G
W E L L
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