Carraway Methodist Medical Center
Encyclopedia
Carraway Methodist Medical Center was a medical facility in Birmingham, Alabama
founded as Carraway Infirmary in 1908 by Dr. Charles N. Carraway. It was moved in 1917 to Birmingham's Norwood neighborhood. Its facilities were segregated
according to skin color for much of its history and, in one instance, excluded James Peck
, an injured white civil rights activist. This hospital was three miles from St. Vincent's
. It expanded in the 1950s and 1960s and ran into financial trouble in the 2000s, declaring bankruptcy and closing in 2008. In 2011, The Lovelady Center, a non-profit women's rehab center, purchased the hospital property and will be renaming it to "Metro Plaza."
Carraway's son, Dr. Ben Carraway, took over in 1957, when it was called Carraway Methodist. He increased the hospital from 256 beds to 617. A Christmas star placed on the roof in 1958 became a noted Birmingham landmark.
The hospital got in financial difficulties in the beginning of the 2000s. At the time, it was run by the founder's grandson, Dr. Robert Carraway. According to The Birmingham News
, two factors were responsible for the institution's financial demise: the decay of the Norwood neighborhood and "decades of decisions favoring patient care over profits." It shut down on October 31, 2008. In 2009, the facility was being considered as the new home for the 340 patients at Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa
.
, a Freedom Rider
who had been severely beaten by Klansmen
after descending the Trailways
bus, the second bus with Freedom Riders to leave Atlanta, Georgia
; he was later treated at Jefferson Hillman Hospital
. The segregational policy of the hospital is rendered in prose fiction also, in Anthony Grooms
's 2001 novel Bombingham. By 1968, the hospital was racially integrated; a notable patient in 1968 was Robert Edward Chambliss
, convicted in 1977 for the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
. In the 1970s still, accusations of racial preference, in for instance hiring practices, were made against the hospital.
In April 1998, some of the Jefferson County F5 tornado victims were sent to Carraway and remained there until recovery.
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
founded as Carraway Infirmary in 1908 by Dr. Charles N. Carraway. It was moved in 1917 to Birmingham's Norwood neighborhood. Its facilities were segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
according to skin color for much of its history and, in one instance, excluded James Peck
James Peck (pacifist)
James Peck was an American activist who practiced nonviolent resistance during World War II and in the Civil Rights movement...
, an injured white civil rights activist. This hospital was three miles from St. Vincent's
St. Vincent's Medical Center (Birmingham)
St. Vincent's Birmingham is a hospital located in Birmingham, Alabama. It is one of five facilities that make up St. Vincent's Health System.St...
. It expanded in the 1950s and 1960s and ran into financial trouble in the 2000s, declaring bankruptcy and closing in 2008. In 2011, The Lovelady Center, a non-profit women's rehab center, purchased the hospital property and will be renaming it to "Metro Plaza."
History
Dr. Charles N. Carraway founded the hospital in 1908, in a house in Pratt City, now a neighborhood in Birmingham, with the capacity to treat 16 patients. Carraway was an innovator in many ways: "Carraway financed the new facility by getting Birmingham businesses to agree to pay $1 a month per employee, or $1.25 per family, for treatment. It was managed care before managed care even had a name." In 1917, Carraway bought a lot on the corner of Sixteenth Avenue and Twenty-fifth Street, in the Norwood neighborhood, and moved the hospital, which came to be called the Norwood Hospital. In 1949, the hospital received $200,000 in federal money to add a nursing wing.Carraway's son, Dr. Ben Carraway, took over in 1957, when it was called Carraway Methodist. He increased the hospital from 256 beds to 617. A Christmas star placed on the roof in 1958 became a noted Birmingham landmark.
The hospital got in financial difficulties in the beginning of the 2000s. At the time, it was run by the founder's grandson, Dr. Robert Carraway. According to The Birmingham News
The Birmingham News
The Birmingham News is the principal daily newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States, and the largest newspaper in Alabama. The paper is owned by Advance Publications...
, two factors were responsible for the institution's financial demise: the decay of the Norwood neighborhood and "decades of decisions favoring patient care over profits." It shut down on October 31, 2008. In 2009, the facility was being considered as the new home for the 340 patients at Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
.
Notable incidents and patients
Much of Carraway's history took place during segregation, which "dictat[ed] virtually every element of Birmingham race relations." A noteworthy incident involving the then-segregated hospital happened in May 1961, when the staff refused admittance to James PeckJames Peck (pacifist)
James Peck was an American activist who practiced nonviolent resistance during World War II and in the Civil Rights movement...
, a Freedom Rider
Freedom ride
Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States to test the United States Supreme Court decisions Boynton v. Virginia and Morgan v. Virginia...
who had been severely beaten by Klansmen
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
after descending the Trailways
Trailways Transportation System
The Trailways Transportation System is an American group of 80 independent bus companies that have entered into a franchising agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.- History :...
bus, the second bus with Freedom Riders to leave Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
; he was later treated at Jefferson Hillman Hospital
UAB Hospital
The University of Alabama Hospital , is a Level I trauma center hospital located in Birmingham, Alabama....
. The segregational policy of the hospital is rendered in prose fiction also, in Anthony Grooms
Anthony Grooms
Anthony Grooms, originally from Louisa, Virginia, has written several pieces of literature and has won many awards for his writings. Grooms is now a professor at Kennesaw State University, near Atlanta, Georgia, and teaches creative writing along with other English courses.-Biography:Anthony “Tony”...
's 2001 novel Bombingham. By 1968, the hospital was racially integrated; a notable patient in 1968 was Robert Edward Chambliss
Robert Edward Chambliss
Robert Edward Chambliss , also known as Dynamite Bob, was convicted in 1977 of murder for his role as conspirator in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963...
, convicted in 1977 for the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed on Sunday, September 15, 1963. The explosion at the African-American church, which killed four girls, marked a turning point in the U.S...
. In the 1970s still, accusations of racial preference, in for instance hiring practices, were made against the hospital.
In April 1998, some of the Jefferson County F5 tornado victims were sent to Carraway and remained there until recovery.