Photo: Harris County Precinct One

On Juneteenth Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Harris County Precinct One, and Harris County Public Health honored100 years of community, care, and resilience at Riverside Hospital recognizing a landmark built by and for the community and its enduring legacy of equity in healthcare.

Wellness on Wheels was on site with free community health services, including vaccinations for children and adults, dental screenings, breast and cervical cancer screenings, lead poisoning testing, HIV and STI testing, and referrals to local health and social services. The event also featured a Bike Rodeo, other family-friendly activities, and free food boxes.

Photo: Harris County Precinct One

It was back on Juneteenth, 1926 when the Houston Negro Hospital was dedicated in the Third Ward. The city had donated the land and oilman J.S. Cullinan gave $80,000 to build it at a time when most hospitals denied care to Blacks or treated them in inferior Black only wards.

“It’s no accident that Riverside originally opened on Juneteenth, commemorating the day in 1865 that enslaved people in Texas learned they were free,” said Commissioner Ellis. “The families who built this hospital opened a space of care and dignity on the day that stands for Black freedom in this state. A century later, we return on that same date, not only to look back, but to keep the promise going forward.”

From the beginning, the nonprofit hospital was plagued with financial woes. A nursing school opened in 1931 but closed just a few years later due to a lack of patients. In 1961, after an extension to the original building on Ennis Street, it was renamed Riverside General Hospital. In 1982 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years it became known for its substance abuse programs and mental health facilities, but legal and financial troubles forced it to shutter in 2015.

In 2018 Harris County acquired the property with plans to turn it into a health hub for the community Last year rehabilitation of the three existing buildings, and a new building, began with donations from The Houston Endowment, the Qatar Harvey Fund, and the U.S. Department of Houston and Urban Development. The campus is becoming the headquarters for Harris County Public Health and its ACCESS Harris County, a program aimed to provide vulnerable groups the services they need through a one-stop-shop coordinated care. It is an example of how the community, elected officials, private sector leaders, and nonprofits can step up to fill a health care void.

“The revitalization of these three historic buildings symbolizes a new day for Riverside Hospital and the Greater Houston community,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who was born at Riverside General Hospital, said previously.

by Marene Gustin