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	Record Group Number:	900000
	Series/Collection Number:	N2012- 12
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	Title, Dates:	Christian Hospital papers, 1920-1994.
	Amount:	0.1 cubic ft.
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	Organization/Arrangement:	Arranged by topic or record type.
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	Biographical/Historical:	Christian Hospital opened in Miami, Florida in 1918 after the city-owned Jackson Memorial Hospital refused to treat the Black maid of Bonnie M. Busch. Mrs. Busch donated five thousand dollars and five acres of land at 1218 N.W. 1st Place to start a hospital that would continue to serve the Black residents of Miami and the Overtown community until it closed in 1982. The Black residents of Miami, including Theoria Bayles Houston, a staff nurse and administrator, and Clara Taylor, Christian Hospital's first supervisory nurse, contributed funds to finish the construction of the hospital and maintain the facility. At its start, Christian Hospital was a makeshift 12-bed facility that could do little more than treat minor illnesses. After suffering damage in a 1935 hurricane, the hospital was rebuilt into a 30-bed facility. Soon, the growing community required a larger, more advanced facility, and a new Christian Hospital opened on August 2,1959 at 4700 N.W. 32nd Avenue with modern medical equipment and services, 45 beds, and a staff of 150, including 80 Black and white physicians. By the late 1960s, other Dade County hospitals were accepting both Black patients and staff, and the number of patients treated at Christian Hospital declined. The hospital finally closed its doors in 1982, having filled a critical need in the community for over 60 years.
	Summary:	This collection consists of materials documenting the history of Christian Hospital and Black physicians in Miami-Dade county. The collection includes copies of news articles about the hospital; hospital literature; a copy of a group photograph of hospital physicians and staff from 1965; a commemorative souvenir book from a 1994 reunion of hospital physicians, staff, and families; and a summary history of the hospital.
	Finding Aids:	Folder listing available. 0
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	Subject Access Fields:	Busch, Bonnie, b. 1884. Christian Hospital (Miami, Fla.) African Americans Medical care. Florida Hospitals Florida Hospitals Staff Medical care Florida Race discrimination Florida Race relations. Miami (Fla.) Miami-Dade County (Fla.) Overtown (Miami, Fla.)
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