Brooke Army Medical Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brooke Army Medical Center |
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| Active | 1946–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Hospital |
| Role |
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| Size | 450 beds |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Sam Houston |
| Website | https://bamc.tricare.mil |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Colonel Mark Stackle |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |
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Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) is a very important hospital for the United States Army. It is located at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. BAMC is a large hospital with 425 beds where doctors also learn and teach. It is the biggest hospital for the U.S. military and the only one that is a Level 1 Trauma Center. This means it can handle the most serious injuries.
BAMC is also home to the Center for the Intrepid, a special place where injured service members get better. More than 8,000 Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and civilians work at BAMC. They provide care to injured service members and the local community in San Antonio.
Contents
History of BAMC
Early Hospitals at Fort Sam Houston
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Station Hospital
(Brooke General Hospital) |
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Location | San Antonio, Texas |
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| Area | 30 acres (120,000 m2) |
| Built | 1937 |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival |
| Part of | Fort Sam Houston (ID75001950) |
| NRHP reference No. | 01001281 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 30, 2001 |
| Designated CP | May 15, 1975 |
The history of Brooke Army Medical Center goes all the way back to 1879. That's when the first small medical building opened. In 1886, a permanent hospital was built. Later, in 1908, a larger hospital with 84 beds was built on the west side of the army post.
In 1929, a general named Roger Brooke took charge of the hospital. He was the first to make sure everyone in the military got a routine chest X-ray. This was a big step forward in military medicine. In 1936, construction began on a new, much bigger hospital. By 1937, this new 418-bed hospital was ready. It cost $3 million to build. This new hospital helped change Fort Sam Houston into a major medical center for the Army.
When World War II started in 1941, the hospital got ready for many injured soldiers. They turned a building where soldiers lived into extra patient rooms.
Brooke General Hospital
In 1942, the hospital was renamed Brooke General Hospital to honor General Roger Brooke. In 1944, another building was turned into a place for soldiers to recover from their injuries. This building later became known as Beach Pavilion. It held many parts of the hospital, including patient rooms and special clinics.
Brooke Army Medical Center
In 1946, Fort Sam Houston was chosen to be the main place for the U.S. Army's medical training and research. Because of this, Brooke General Hospital was renamed Brooke Army Medical Center. In 1987, work began on building a brand new hospital.
On July 18, 1995, the new hospital building was officially handed over to BAMC. On March 14, 1996, the new facility was dedicated. Then, on April 13, BAMC opened for patients. All the patients from the old hospital were moved to the new one.
Today, the old BAMC building is used by other army units.
Changes and New Names
In 2005, there was a big plan to reorganize military bases. Because of this, Brooke Army Medical Center took over the inpatient care from the Air Force's Wilford Hall hospital. For a while, starting in 2011, the combined hospital was called San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC). However, since October 1, 2017, the name SAMMC is no longer used. The hospital is now simply known as BAMC again. BAMC is in charge of the main hospital and all the Army medical clinics in the San Antonio area.
Important Dates for BAMC
- 1879 - A temporary 12-bed hospital was built.
- 1886 - A permanent brick hospital with 12 beds was built.
- 1908 - A larger Station Hospital with 84 beds was built.
- 1910 - Two new parts were added to the Station Hospital, adding 68 beds.
- 1912 - An isolation ward and a maternity ward were added.
- 1936 - Construction began on a new Station Hospital building.
- 1938 - The new Station Hospital opened with 418 beds.
- 1941 to 1945 - The hospital expanded during World War II.
- 1942 - The Station Hospital was named Brooke General Hospital.
- 1946 - The Army's medical training school moved to Fort Sam Houston. The hospital was renamed Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC).
- 1975 - The old hospital building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1992 - Construction began on the new BAMC building.
- 1996 - The new BAMC hospital opened.
- 2001 - The old BGH building was added individually to the National Register of Historic Places.
- 2005 - A plan was made to combine services from Wilford Hall Medical Center with BAMC.
- 2009 - Construction began for the new combined facility.
- 2011 - A new parking garage opened.
- 2012 - The Consolidated Tower (CoTo) wing opened.
- 2015 - A new dining hall opened.
BAMC Today
Today, Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) is located at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. It is part of the U.S. Army Medical Command. BAMC is the main hospital and also oversees all other Army medical facilities in the San Antonio area.
BAMC is a teaching hospital, which means it helps train new doctors. It is also home to the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center. This center is very important for treating burn injuries, especially for soldiers.
The hospital has 425 beds and can expand to 653 beds if there's a disaster. It offers many services, including:
- General medical and surgical care.
- Clinics for adults and children.
- A 24-hour Emergency department.
- Specialty clinics for different health needs.
- Services to help people stay healthy and prevent illness.
- Veterinary care.
- Environmental health services.
BAMC is the only MEDCOM Level I trauma center in the entire Department of Defense. This means it's specially equipped to handle the most severe injuries and emergencies.
The original Brooke General Hospital building from 1937 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
Expanding BAMC for the Future
As part of the BRAC 2005 plan, BAMC has grown. It took on more patient services from the 59th Medical Wing at Wilford Hall Medical Center (which belongs to the USAF). For example, the Nuclear Medicine service, which uses special imaging to see inside the body, was one of the first services to fully combine.
To handle these new services, BAMC built new parts and updated its existing buildings. This included a large new tower, a parking garage, and a central energy plant.
Consolidated Tower (CoTo)
Construction on this large new part of the hospital began in 2009. It added nearly 738,000 square feet to the hospital. This new tower holds administrative offices, a clinic for children, a bigger Emergency and Trauma department, and special units for intensive care (SICU, CCU). It also has a psychiatric unit and an expanded Burn Center. The Burn Center at BAMC is the only one in the Department of Defense that is officially recognized by the American Burn Association.
Parking Garage
Also starting in 2009, a large parking garage was built. It has 5,000 spaces to make sure there's enough parking for all the extra patients and staff at the bigger hospital.
Central Energy Plant
Because the BAMC facility became so much larger, it needed more heating and cooling power. A new 22,400 square foot central energy plant was built to provide this.
