A Community of Caring

A Community of Caring. Community, Culture, and Commerce . 22nd Street South Corridor. During the segregation era, many hospitals did not treat black people, either because of Jim Crow laws or the prejudiced attitude of the hospital's administrators. Replacing a smaller hospital which had been in operation in the Gas Plant neighborhood as early as 1913, the opening of Mercy Hospital in 1923 formalized the 22nd Street S. community's tradition of caring for its own. Built by Edgar Weeks for $68,950, the facility had 16-20 beds. Despite a dedicated group of doctors and nurses, the facility was understaffed and poorly equipped., Initially, additions to the hospital were constructed in 1942, 1948, and 1963. Finally, on Aprif 13, 1966, the St. Petersburg Times reported, "Mercy Hospital, 1344 22nd Street S., for many years the municipal hospital for Negro patients, is dead. It was 43. The cause of death was listed as an overdose of red ink. The patients and staff of Mercy have been transferred to Mound Park Hospital. Only eight patients were involved in the final transfer last Friday." , The Doctors of Mercy , In 1926, Dr. James Maxie Ponder was appointed city physician to the black community, thus becoming Mercy Hospital's first African-American doctor. He served as the only staff physician at Mercy Hospital for more than a decade., Dr. Ponder also became the first active black member of the Pinellas County Medical Society. When he died in 1958, the flag at City Hall was lowered to half-staff, an unusual honor for a person of color in St. Petersburg., Other doctors who later worked at Mercy Hospital include Drs. Breaux Martin, Orion T. Ayer, Fred Alsup, Ralph Wimbish, Eugene C. Rose, and Harry E. Taliaferro., The RN Club , The Registered Nurses Club, now the RN LPN Association, is the oldest black nurses organization in St. Petersburg. it was founded in 1946 by Marie Yopp. Other founding members were Catherine James, Emma Yvonne Taylor, Hannah Singleton, Efrain Mar Clark, Deloris Gordon, Mattie C. Bennett, and Sadie Henry., The primary objectives of the organization were to foster better relationships between nurses and to encourage students to enter the nursing profession. They also wanted to elevate the status of nursing in the community and encourage professionalism. All members were required to become members of the District 13 Florida Nurses Association, creating an interracial unit in 1946., A Tradition of Midwives and Nurses , Both before and after Mercy Hospital was built, midwives were among the first to bring care to the community. The Florida School of Traditional Midwifery has said the Department of Health noted 4,000 midwives practicing in Florida in 1920. Although it is unclear how many practiced in St. Petersburg at that time, the Pinellas County Health Department lists the following midwives in 1953: "Phyllis Bradwell (retired), Sally Givens (retired), Lider Gass (deceased), Carrie Zanders, Roxanna Simpkins, and Mamie Brown (retired 9/1953).", The 1923 Mercy Hospital Annual Report stated that two African-American nurses staffed the facility. Nursing staff was slowly increased. Eventually, a devoted corps of nurses performed in every aspect of care at Mercy Hospital, although they received wages far lower than their counterparts at white hospitals., The Negro Health Clinic , The Negro Clinic, which was located adjacent to Mercy Hospital in a converted house, opened in 1940. Marie Yopp was the first registered black nurse at the clinic. In 1964, she was named supervisor of the Negro Health Clinic. She supervised black and white nurses nurses until 1968 when the clinic was integrated with the main office of the Pinellas County Health Department. During an early year in its existence, the clinic reported 23,724 visits from members of the community. Up until the time the clinic opened, African Ameicans were allowed one day a week at a white clinic downtown., (captions) , Dr. James Maxie Ponder, circa 1935. Photo courtesy of the St. Petersburg Museum of History., Mercy Hospital nurses shortly after the 1948 expansion. Photo courtesy of the RN LPN Association., Photo courtesy of Pinellas County Heritage Village., Nurses Aide Class #13 with instructor Nurse Marie Yopp in 1947. Photo courtesy of the RN LPN Association., Photo courtesy of Pinellas County Department of Health