The hospitals that provided care to Black Tampa Bay residents during segregation

TAMPA BAY, Fla. — Throughout February, we’ll be highlighting historical African American figures who’ve had an impact in their field, whether that be art, education, politics or sports. All of them have a Florida connection.

Fred Hearns is a historian with the Tampa Bay History Center and was born and raised in Tampa. We’re highlighting two Tampa Bay area hospitals that served African Americans when others wouldn’t.

“Well, during the days of segregation in the early 1900s, hospitals and medical care were segregated just like every other aspect of life for Black people,” said Hearns.

In 1908, a Black woman named Clara C. Frye opened up her home as a hospital for Black people living in Tampa.

“Now, there were other smaller places where Blacks were able to go to get medical care,” explained Hearns.

Frye dedicated her life to providing health care to the local Black population.

“Later on, the Clara Frye Memorial Hospital was built on North Boulevard. It wasn’t until 1967 that Tampa General Hospital desegregated, and Clara Frye Hospital ceased to exist when it merged with Tampa General,” explained Hearns.

“Many of the same stories that we can tell in Tampa happened in St. Petersburg during the days of segregation when Mercy Hospital provided a safe refuge for Black people who needed medical care when they couldn’t go to white hospitals,” said Hearns.

Clara Frye Memorial Hospital and Mercy Hospital are testaments to how Black people living right here in the Tampa Bay area were able to provide something as necessary as hospitals during segregation, which is why they’re not just Black History; they’re Florida history.