Bethania Hospital

Bethania Hospital. . The oil boom of 1918 was still benefitting Wichita Falls in the 1920s as the population increased to 55,000 residents. Drs. R.L. Hargrave and M.M. Walker saw the need for another medical facility besides the Wichita General Hospital and built the Hargrave-Walker Clinic and Hospital on 11th Street in 1926. The hospital was purchased by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1934. Originally from Poland, the Sisters came to America in the late 1800s to minister to Polish immigrants. They named the hospital Bethania Hospital in 1935 and it opened with eight Sisters in charge under the leadership of Mother Marie Delourdes., In 1942, renovations were conducted, increasing the original 25-bed hospital by 23 beds and adding two floors. After world war two, a four-story wing was added to the original building. In 1959, Bethania graduated its first class of licensed vocational nurses and continually ranked in the top five nursing schools in America. More construction in 1972 added four stories to the 1959 building called the West Tower. Three new floors were added to the furthest west building in 1986 and a 25-foot metal cross was placed atop the West Tower., In 1988, the original Bethania building was razed to provide a new entry and parking. In 1997, Bethania and Wichita General Hospitals merged as United Regional Heath Care System. The Sisters remained with the system until 2006, at which time they gifted their property on 11th Street to United Regional Health Care System, leaving a lasting legacy of care to the citizens of Wichita Falls and the surrounding area.