Provident Hospital (Fort Lauderdale) facts for kids

Provident Hospital was a small hospital located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was a very important place because it was one of the few hospitals that would treat African American patients during a time when many hospitals were segregated. This means they only allowed white patients.

Why Provident Hospital Was Needed

In the 1930s, many places in the United States, especially in the South, had strict rules about segregation. This meant that Black and white people were kept separate in schools, buses, and even hospitals. In Fort Lauderdale, existing hospitals would not accept African American patients.

This created a huge problem. If a Black person got sick or injured, they often had nowhere to go for proper medical care. This was a very unfair situation.

A Difficult Time for Patients

A sad event in 1937 showed just how badly a hospital for Black patients was needed. A young Black man named John McBride was seriously hurt. Hospitals near where he was injured at first refused to let him in.

A Black doctor, Dr. Von D. Mizell, finally convinced one hospital to take him. But the hospital later moved John McBride to a very old and run-down place. Sadly, he died soon after. This event highlighted the urgent need for a hospital that would treat everyone fairly.

The Doctors Who Made a Difference

Because of these unfair rules, two brave African American doctors decided to take action. Their names were Dr. Von D. Mizell and Dr. James Sistrunk. They understood that their community needed a safe place for medical care.

In 1938, these two doctors worked together to open Provident Hospital. It was a small facility, but it made a huge difference. It provided essential healthcare to the African American community in Fort Lauderdale.

A New Era: Integration and Change

For many years, Provident Hospital served its community. However, things began to change in the United States. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. This important law made segregation illegal. It meant that public places, including hospitals, could no longer separate people based on their race.

Around the same time, a government program called Medicare was created to help people pay for healthcare. Medicare refused to give money to hospitals that were still segregated. This put pressure on all hospitals to integrate.

Because of these changes, the city of Fort Lauderdale eventually tore down Provident Hospital. The need for a separate hospital for African Americans was no longer there, as all hospitals were now required to treat everyone.

What Replaced the Hospital

After Provident Hospital was taken down, a new building was put in its place. This new building became the Mizell Center. It is a community center that serves the local area, continuing to be a place for people to gather and get help.

Provident Hospital may no longer stand, but its history reminds us of a time when people fought for equal rights and access to healthcare for everyone.