Photo: St. Philip Hospital and St. Philip School of Nursing plaque

Photographer: Bernard Fisher
Taken: July 10, 2009
Caption: St. Philip Hospital and St. Philip School of Nursing plaque
Additional Description: ...within whose walls we toiled hard yet came out feeling we had in some small way helped "Our Father" in saving a life. Saint Philip Alumnae Association

On this site in November 1920 Saint Philip Hospital, then the only general hospital for Negroes in the United States, opened its doors to serve the Negro community. The Richmond community contributed $250,000 to make possible the construction of the hospital, which was, at the time, “the most modern type of hospital in Virginia.”

With the opening of the hospital the Saint Philip School of Nursing at the Medical College of Virginia was established to train Negro women. For 42 years the Saint Philip students received the clinical education necessary to prepare them for professions in nursing. Graduates completing the School’s three-year program went on to achieve recognition both in the Commonwealth and beyond. In September 1962, the Saint Philp program was officially integrated with the existing School of Nursing at the Medical College of Virginia.

The Saint Philip Hospital closed its doors as a hospital for Negroes in 1965. The building was incorporated into the MCV Hospitals complex and renamed East Hospital.

The Medical College of Virginia Commonwealth University is proud to honor the spirit of the Saint Philip School of Nursing and the many accomplishments of its graduates. The portion in front of where you now stand is the original architecture which graced the entrance to the Saint Philip Hospital.

This plaque dedicated by the saint Philip Alumnae Association.
Submitted: July 11, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
Database Locator Identification Number: p70247
File Size: 1.492 Megabytes

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