ST. LOUIS — A new hospital with an historic name has opened in north St. Louis.
It's called Homer G. Phillips Memorial Hospital, located in Carr Square.
Karen Johnson is leading the facility as chief operating officer and chief nursing officer.
"This community hasn't had 24/7 health care in at least probably two generations," Johnson said.
Priyanka Lauber is also helping lead the hospital as the medical director for the emergency department and chief of staff.
"It doesn't matter what race you are, your socioeconomic status, you have the right to feel like when your health is something that you're concerned about, you get standard of care and you get the right care," Lauber said.
Data from the City of St. Louis says Black residents in the city are more likely to lack access to the tools that support health.
The new hospital is named after a prominent St. Louis lawyer and equal rights advocate who was killed by gunfire in 1931.
It includes:
- A 15-bed Emergency Department
- A two-bed-Triage area and three-bed inpatient area
- Full-time emergency trained physicians on duty 24/7
- A social services department
- Laboratory services
- Complete Electronic Health Record (EHR)
- A full-service imaging department, including MRI, CT, X-RAY and ultrasound
But the hospital's name has been met with controversy.
A group called Homer G. Phillips Nurses Alumni filed a lawsuit against the developer in 2022 that now stands in state court.
The nurses worked at the original Homer G. Phillips hospital in the Ville Neighborhood, which closed in 1979.
Yvonne Jones serves as the president of the group.
"We just want the name removed because of the trademark and because of the legacy of Homer G. Phillips hospital being in The Ville area," Jones said.
Change The Name Coalition is helping to advocate for the alumni of nurses. Ollie Stewart has been vocal as the co-chair of the organization, which supports Homer G. Phillips Nurses Alumni.
"Only thing we are asking is change the name. We don't care about the hospital. Or what he's trying to build. But why use the Phillips name? Why can't he use his own name or someone else's name?" Stewart said, referring to the hospital's developer, Paul McKee.
But the hospital says they've received different feedback about the name.
"We are aspiring to fulfill (Homer G. Phillips') legacy by providing health care to the community, to the Black community. We've actually heard positive comments about the name," Johnson said.
Change The Name Coalition says it will continue to raise funds for the Homer G. Phillips Nurses Alumni. The money will pay for legal fees for the lawsuit which is in state court at the moment.
McKee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.