Brooke Army Medical Center

Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio is part of the United States Army Health Services Command. It is a University of Texas Health Science Center and USUHS teaching hospital and contains the Army Burn Center.

BAMC has a proud and venerable history which dates back to 1879 when the first Post Hospital opened as a small medical dispensary located in a single story wooden building.

During the early years the Post hospital was in temporary structures, and it was not until 1886 that the first permanent hospital was built. In 1907 an 84-bed Station hospital was constructed on the west side of the post. This made the hospital among the nation's most modern. In 1929, Brigadier General Roger Brooke assumed command of the Station Hospital, a position he held until 1933. Brooke is credited with instituting the first routine chest X-ray in military medicine.

In July 1936, the cornerstone was laid for the construction of a replacement Station Hospital. By November 1937, the new 418-bed hospital was operational, having cost $3 million dollars. The new hospital was the first in a series of moves which changed Fort Sam Houston from an Infantry to a medical Post.

In 1941, BAMC prepared for an overwhelming flow of casualties from World War II battlefields by converting a 220-person enlisted barracks into additional patient wards. This facility would prove instrumental in providing quality, responsive health care to wounded soldiers and would later become BAMC Headquarters. In 1942, the Station Hospital was renamed Brooke General Hospital in Brooke's honor.

In 1944, BAMC converted a Cavalry Battalion barracks into a convalescent unit to accommodate the tremendous flow of casualties from the war. This building later became Beach Pavilion. Beach housed a substantial portion of BAMC assets to include numerous patient wards and specialty clinics.

In 1946, Fort Sam Houston was chosen as the new site for the U.S. Army Medical Field Service School. The decision to centralize the Army's medical research and training at one location resulted in the re-naming of Brooke General Hospital to Brooke Army Medical Center.

In September 1987, the official groundbreaking took place for the construction of a new hospital. On July 18, 1995, ownership of the replacement hospital was given to the BAMC Commander by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the key turnover ceremony. On March 14, 1996, the new facility was officially dedicated and on April 13, BAMC opened for business with the successful transfer of inpatients from the "old" BAMC to the "new" BAMC.

Under BRAC 2005, BAMC is expected to expand with the arrival and co-location of the 59th Medical Wing (USAF), which will occur as Wilford Hall Medical Center (located at Lackland AFB on the other side of San Antonio) closes.

The hospital today is a 450-bed JCAHO-accredited facility, expandable to 653 beds in the event of a disaster. Major services include general medical and surgical care, adult and pediatric primary care clinics, 24-hour Emergency department, specialty clinics, clinical services, wellness and prevention services, veterinary care, and environmental health services.

BAMC is a Level I trauma center, one of three in the MEDCOM, and is part of the Great Plains Regional Medical Command (GPRMC).

History

 * 1870 City of San Antonio donates 40 acres for an Army post
 * 1886 Log cabin dispensary built
 * 1907 Station Hospital built to accommodate 84 beds
 * 1936 Construction began for BAMC Main
 * 1938 BAMC Main opens with 418 operating beds
 * 1941-1945 BAMC expanded by converting barracks to hospital wards
 * 1983 Design authority issued for replacement facility
 * 1985 Concept design started for the new BAMC
 * 1992 Construction of new BAMC starts
 * 1996 New BAMC opens