LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It has been 150 years since west Louisville had a new hospital to service the community.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, west Louisville never had hospitals or medical practices for African Americans.
However, there were a group of men and women that dedicated their lives to provide critical care in the area – especially during segregation.
Norton West Louisville Hospital is weeks away from officially opening and those medical pioneers are being honored for their efforts.
A special monument was unveiled Saturday at the Goodwill Opportunity Campus.
Those honored include Henry Fitzbutler – the first Black doctor in Louisville and the first Black student to earn a medical degree from the University of Michigan. He is also the founder of Louisville National Medical College. His wife, Sarah was the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in Kentucky after graduating from the Louisville National Medical College.
There’s also Artishia Gilbert Wilkerson – the first Black woman to pass the medical boards and become a doctor in Kentucky; Mary E. Merritt – the first registered nurse of any race to work in Kentucky and she received a certificate of merit from President Woodrow Wilson for her service during World War I.
Mary Etta Porter Potter – a doctor who provided women and children’s care out of her home and established the Fraternal Hospital Training School for Nurses.
“When our history is permanently in place, on structures – especially in corners where others would have us believe that we don’t grow and we don’t thrive – it’s amazing to see,” Aimee Green Webb, a relative of Potter’s said.
The monument is located at South 28th Street and Garland Avenue.
Following the unveiling, the community attended a block party celebration.
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