On this date in 1895, the Frederick Douglass Memorial Hospital and Training School was founded in Philadelphia by Dr. Nathan F. Mossell, a Black doctor.
This comprehensive medical facility was established to support the welfare and advancement of the city’s Black community. Along with Dr. Mossell, Professor Jacob C. White and others were instrumental in its creation. The hospital's purpose was to care for the sick, to provide hospital opportunities for physicians, and to train nurses. Minnie Clemons, the first Black graduate of Penn's Training School for Nurses, supervised the first approved Negro Nurse Training School at Douglass.
The Philadelphia Black community initially funded the establishment of Frederick Douglass Hospital. It garnered financial support from notable benefactors, including Mrs. William Jenks and Miss Susan Wharton, as well as entrepreneurs such as Madame C. J. Walker and ordinary individuals. Organizations such as churches and fraternal groups, including the Progressive Club, also provided financial support totaling $77,000.
Later, Douglass Memorial Hospital received $104,000 from Republicans because Blacks constituted a significant voting bloc supportive of them. Furthermore, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth granted Douglass $18,000 in annual subsidies, which was 50 percent of its funds and more than any other voluntary hospital.
Douglass Memorial Hospital merged with Mercy Hospital, establishing Mercy/Douglass Hospital. This facility closed in 1973.
The Encyclopedia of African American Heritage
by Susan Altman
Copyright 1997, Facts on File, Inc. New York
ISBN 0-8160-3289-0
