Mercy-Douglass Hospital

Mercy-Douglass Hospital was founded by Nathan Mossell, Eugene Hinson, and many others. They merged the Mercy and the Fredrick Douglass hospitals in 1948 with the goal of treating all patients fairly and providing training for nurses of all races, including African Americans. The Mercy-Douglass Hospital provided service for thousands of patients and nurses before closing in 1973. There is still a hospital located in Southwest Philadelphia in honor of the Mercy-Douglass Hospital that carries on the legacy and morals of the original hospital.

The Mercy-Douglass Hospital was opened in 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the hopes of providing both appropriate healthcare and equal job opportunities in the healthcare field to people of all races, particularly African Americans. After a long journey with many bumps in the road Nathan F. Mossell and Eugene Hinson decided to merge the Mercy and Douglass Hospital in 1948, after the idea was originally rejected.

The Mercy-Douglass hospital originated from the Fredrick Douglass Hospital that was founded by Nathan F. Mossell. Mossell graduated from the medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in 1882 as their first African American graduate. Although this was an amazing accomplishment, Mossell was rejected by the university hospital because of his race and finished his graduate studies in England. This rejection inspired Mossell to create his own hospital that gave African American the right to healthcare jobs and proper medical treatment. Mossell did just this in 1895 when he met with multiple other African American doctors about his idea.

After a few years of being open, a group of doctors, including Dr. Eugene Hinson, left the Douglass Hospital unsatisfied to open up their own hospital with similar morals. This hospital became known as Mercy Hospital and opened its doors in 1907. After its opening, both Mercy and the Fredrick Douglass Hospitals began to face financial hardships leading up to the Great Depression. These difficult times led to talk of merging the two hospitals in hopes of succeeding. Although the idea was originally rejected in 1941, the hospitals ended up finally merging in 1948, creating the Mercy-Douglass Hospital.

The Mercy-Douglass Hospital ended up closing in 1973. However, in their 24 years of service they were able to provide healthcare, jobs, and training for thousands of individuals. There is now a hospital located in Southwest Philadelphia in honor of the Mercy-Douglass Hospital called Mercy Hospital. They continue to honor the morals and goals of the original Mercy-Douglass Hospital and have greatly expanded to include departments such as Surgery, Radiology, and more.

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