September 26, 2023 marked the 60th anniversary of when Methodist Hospital, located at 7700 Floyd Curl Drive, opened its doors to serve the community. Originally named Southwest Methodist Hospital, six decades later, Methodist Hospital looks much different than the 75-bed facility that opened on September 26, 1963. Today, Methodist Hospital has grown to be one of the largest hospitals in Texas, with nearly 1,000 beds.
Methodist Hospital's beginnings date back to the 1950s when a group of civic leaders on the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Committee approached the Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church regarding the need for a new hospital in the area. From the generous land contributions from Five Oaks, a group of businessmen, and the funding efforts facilitated by Floyd Curl, Methodist Hospital was the first and only structure at the remote site, built with sublevels able to withstand a nuclear explosion. Never did they imagine that Methodist Hospital would pave the path for the rich and impactful history that Methodist Healthcare would evolve into.
From our humble beginnings, Methodist Hospital has persevered through decades of change and challenges, having experienced exponential growth and making significant investments to ensure our community has access to the highest-quality of care. Some of Methodist Hospital's greatest achievements include completing its first-ever heart transplant in 1988, establishing one of the nation's first FACT-accredited stem cell transplantation programs in 1993, and being instrumental in the creation of a unique and powerful partnership between HCA, the largest and most skilled operator of hospitals in the United States, and Methodist Healthcare Ministries, the largest private funding source for uninsured and underinsured patients in all of South Texas in 1995, which shaped the foundation for Methodist Healthcare. Over the past 60 years, Methodist Hospital has continued to evolve through the turn of the century with historic expansion efforts and the addition of innovative technologies.
"Since opening in 1963, Methodist Hospital has continuously grown to meet the healthcare needs of patients and families in the San Antonio community and beyond," said Ryan Simpson, CEO of the Methodist Hospital campus. "We are so proud to celebrate our 60th anniversary and to continue our long-standing mission of serving humanity to honor God. Through the compassion and skill of our staff, physicians, and volunteers, we have been honored to provide care to more patients than any other hospital in South Texas for more than six decades."
Discover how Methodist Hospital continues to serve San Antonio.