Patton Memorial Hospital | https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/
Patton Memorial Hospital | https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/
From February 18, 2023 post.
Patton Memorial Hospital
Patton Memorial Hospital was dedicated on July 4, 1913. It began with a staff of four physicians and was in operation for forty years. In the early years, very few African-Americans were treated at the hospital. According to ‘A Brief History of The Black Presence in Henderson County’ operations would be performed, but Blacks were sent home in an open wagon to recover from surgery. It wasn’t until the 1920s that Black community members could stay at Patton Memorial, and even then, they were relegated to a ‘black wing’ in the basement of the building.
Alberta Jowers (Mooney) arrived in Hendersonville in the early 1920s with a nursing degree from the Savannah School of Nursing. She was the first Black nurse at the hospital. She performed nursing duties and lived at the hospital being called on day and night. She had a high level of responsibility and served patients with care and professionalism.
Fred Means joined the Patton Hospital staff doing yard work and was soon promoted to head orderly. For forty years he faithfully served at Patton Hospital and later at Pardee Hospital.
The Patton Memorial Hospital building still stands in the Hyman Heights area and has been converted into apartments.
#BlackHistory #BlackHistoryMonth
Source can be found here.
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