Tampa General Hospital’s roots on Davis Islands date back to 1927. It was known as Tampa Municipal Hospital when it opened with 186 beds, alongside the Gordon Keller School of Nursing. A lot has taken place since those days. Both the hospital and the community it serves have grown dramatically.
Today, TGH is a 981-bed academic health system that has achieved national recognition for its medical services. The Gordon Keller School of Nursing is gone, but nursing students from throughout Tampa Bay train at TGH, along with more than 300 medical residents from the USF Morsani College of Medicine.
What follows is a record of some of the more significant events in the history of Tampa General. It reflects the maturation of a community and the hospital that bears its name.
TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL TIMELINE
1905
The first of several facilities, which would later become Tampa General Hospital, is built.
1910
The Gordon Keller Hospital is built on North Boulevard, and the Gordon Keller School of Nursing is established.
1923
Nurse Clara Frye turns a building on Lamar Street into a health care facility for African Americans.
1925
Land on Davis Islands is deeded to the City of Tampa by Mr. D. P. Davis and a $1 million bond issue is approved on March 19, 1925, to build the hospital.
1927
Tampa Municipal Hospital, a memorial to Mr. Gordon Keller, opens on Davis Islands with 186 beds. The hospital is fully accredited by the American College of Surgeons.
1928
The City of Tampa purchases nurse Clara Frye’s hospital, renaming it the Tampa Negro Hospital. Frye continues working there until her retirement.
1931
The City of Tampa places Tampa Municipal Hospital under the governance of a hospital board.
1937
The City of Tampa opens a new, 62-bed hospital for African Americans on Union Street at the Hillsborough River, dedicated as the Clara Frye Memorial Hospital.
1949
Governance of Tampa Municipal Hospital returns to the City of Tampa.
1953
The Tampa Municipal Hospital Auxiliary is formed and opens to both male and female volunteers.
1956
Tampa Municipal Hospital officially changes its name to Tampa General Hospital.
1959
An expansion of Tampa General Hospital results in growth to 514 beds.
1961
TGH and Clara Frye Memorial Hospital are put under the governance of the Hillsborough County Board of Public Assistance.
1962
TGH’s governing board changes its name to the Hospital and Welfare Board of Hillsborough County.
1963
A two-story addition, housing obstetrics and an intensive care unit is added to TGH.
1967
Governance of Tampa General Hospital is transferred to the Hillsborough County Commission.
1969
The Gordon Keller School of Nursing is transferred to Hillsborough Community College.
1970
An affiliation agreement between Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida College of Medicine is signed. This agreement makes Tampa General Hospital the primary teaching hospital for USF’s medical school and residency programs.
1973
The Clara Frye Memorial Hospital is demolished.
1974
The first kidney transplant at TGH is performed.
The Tampa General Hospital Foundation is established.
1979
A $14.2 million renovation and expansion is completed.
1980
Governance of TGH is transferred by a state legislative act to the Hillsborough County Hospital Authority (HCHA).
1982
A $160 million bond issue is passed that be used to triple the size of TGH.
1984
TGH opens a 59-bed rehabilitation center connected to the main hospital by a pedestrian bridge.
1985
The first successful heart transplant in Florida is performed at TGH.
1986
TGH is designated as a Level I Trauma Center by the state of Florida, and the West Pavilion is opened.
1987
TGH adds liver transplant to its transplantation program.
1989
TGH begins its aeromedical transport program with one helicopter.
1990
The HCHA rejects an attempt to convert Tampa General Hospital from a public to private, not-for-profit corporation.
1991
TGH dedicates an area of the hospital in memory of Clara C. Frye.
1992
The Suncoast Ronald McDonald House becomes Tampa General Hospital’s neighbor.
The Children’s Medical Center opens in the East Pavilion.
1997
The HCHA approves the conversion of Tampa General Hospital from a public to a private, not-for-profit corporation.
2001
Pancreas transplant is added to the TGH transplant program.
2002
U.S. News & World Report names Tampa General Hospital one of the nation’s Top 50 Hospitals for Kidney Disease.
The first lung transplant is performed at TGH.
2004
A new outpatient surgery center opens, adding eight operating rooms.
2005
The Joint Commission awards disease-specific certification in 11 specialties.
Tampa General Hospital receives Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
2006
TGH earns distinguished Consumer Choice Award from the National Research Corporation.
2007
The Bayshore Pavilion opens in phases, beginning with the Emergency & Trauma Center, Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit and Trauma Intensive Care Unit.
The remaining floors, including the Cardiovascular Center, the Women’s Center and the Digestive Center, open later the following year.
2010
LifeLink® physicians and surgeons join the TGH family as the Tampa General Medical Group.
TGH opens the Jennifer Leigh Muma Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
2011
Tampa General Hospital celebrates its 1,000th heart transplant and 300th lung transplant.
TGH implements its EPIC Electronic Health Record.
2012
Tampa General Hospital jumps from the 10th busiest to the 4th busiest transplant program in the United States.
Ronald A. Hytoff, President & CEO of Tampa General Hospital, is named as one of the Becker’s Hospital Review’s “100 Non-Profit Hospital, Health System CEOs to Know” based on his experience, awards and community involvement.
In May 2012, Hytoff announces his retirement after 16 years of service, including 12 years as TGH President & CEO.
Tampa General Hospital is named the #1 hospital in Florida by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals 2012-2013.
2013
Tampa General Hospital’s Level I Trauma Center for adults and children is the first and only program in Florida to achieve verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) for the quality of its trauma care.
Tampa General Hospital and Florida Hospital Tampa Bay agree on a partnership to develop new clinical programs and services in the Tampa Bay area.
The new partnership will help Tampa residents have greater access to health care services and will allow both Tampa General Hospital and Florida Hospital to expand their services throughout the community.
James R. Burkhart, DSc, MSHHA, FACHE, joins TGH as President & CEO.
2014
In December 2014, Tampa General Hospital became the first hospital on the west coast of Florida to be awarded Comprehensive Stroke Certification, the highest national designation, from the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, a national certification organization recognized by the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Tampa General Hospital became the first hospital in Tampa Bay, and one of only three hospitals in Florida, to offer MRI-guided laser technology for minimally invasive neurosurgeries. The laser technology uses light energy to destroy brain tumors, resulting in more precise surgeries and faster recovery time for patients.
Surgeons can view real-time images of the brain during surgery without moving the patient from the operating table.
2015
In January 2015, Tampa General Hospital and Florida Hospital announced West Florida Health, a new jointly owned, not-for-profit health care company. West Florida Health provides accessible, affordable care for the community by expanding the continuum of care available throughout the Tampa Bay area.
In February 2015, West Florida Health, the joint partnership between Tampa General Hospital and Florida Hospital, launched a new home care agency that provides home care services in Hillsborough, Hernando, Pasco and portions of Sumter counties.
In May 2015, Tampa General Hospital received international recognition by Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. as a baby-friendly designated birth facility. TGH is the first hospital in Hillsborough County, and one of only three in the Tampa Bay area, to earn the hospital initiative.
In May 2015, Tampa General Hospital received full heart failure accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC) for demonstrating its expertise and commitment to enhancing the quality of care for heart failure patients.
In July 2015, Tampa General Hospital received accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC).
2016
TGH launches TGH Virtual Care. This telehealth technology allows patients to have interactive online urgent care visits with board-certified physicians 24/7/365 via a mobile app, tablet or computer.
In November 2016, James R. Burkhart announces his resignation after serving as President & CEO for nearly four years.
2017
TGH’s first outpatient facility begins seeing emergency center patients on March 27, 2017. The TGH Outpatient Center is home to a freestanding emergency care center, lab and imaging services, outpatient surgery center, pharmacy and physician offices.
Tampa General Hospital is named the #1 hospital in Tampa Bay by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals 2017-2018.
John D. Couris joins TGH as President & CEO, September 2017.
2018
On Sept. 30, 2018, TGH reaches a significant milestone by performing its 10,000th transplant, providing a kidney to a patient from the Fort Myers area.
TGH is recognized as the #1 hospital in the Tampa/St. Petersburg metro area for 2018-19 by U.S. News & World Report.
2019
Tampa General Hospital launched a high-tech “mission control” clinical command center called CareComm, which uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost.
TGH is recognized as the #1 hospital in the Tampa/St. Petersburg metro area for 2019-20 by U.S. News & World Report.
TGH is named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list for 2019. TGH is one of only six hospitals in Florida to earn the distinction.
Tampa General Hospital becomes the first hospital in Florida to complete a urologic surgery using Intuitive’s da Vinci SP surgical system.
2020
A total of 611 solid organ transplants were performed at Tampa General, the largest number ever performed in the hospital’s history.
TGH is once again recognized as the #1 hospital in the Tampa/St. Petersburg metro area for 2020-21 by U.S. News & World Report.
Tampa General becomes the first in Florida to offer monoclonal antibody treatments to COVID-19 patients.
In November 2020, TGH announced the creation of Tampa General Hospital InnoVentures, a venture capital fund dedicated to driving a culture of innovation across the region’s leading academic health system through the support of early-stage startups and direct investments.
TGH and the Cancer Center of South Florida form a new alliance, enabling cancer patients in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast to receive the world-class care and complex services that a major academic health system.
The Maternal Safety Foundation recognizes TGH as a Maternal Center of Excellence in two key maternal health programs, providing women advanced services when it comes to labor and delivery. Tampa General Hospital and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine strengthen their longstanding relationship by joining Tampa General Medical Group and USF Health physician group, which created one of the largest academic health system physician groups in the state of Florida.
2021
Tampa General Hospital is ranked as the #1 hospital in Tampa Bay by U.S. News & World Report for 2021-2022, marking the sixth consecutive year TGH has accomplished the feat.
Tampa General Hospital is named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list, ranking among the top 100 hospitals in the United States.
Tampa General Hospital is designated as a four-star hospital in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2021 Overall Hospital Quality Star ratings.
Gastro Group of the Palm Beach merges with Tampa General Hospital and is renamed the Tampa General Hospital Gastro Group of the Palm Beaches, providing patients in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast with the world-class care and complex services of a major, academic health system.
2022
Tampa General Hospital is ranked as the #1 hospital in Tampa Bay by U.S. News & World Report for 2022-23 and is nationally ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation in seven specialties.
Tampa General Hospital is named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list, ranking among the top 100 hospitals in the United States.
Tampa General Hospital was named to the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals List.
2023
Tampa General Hospital is ranked as the #1 hospital in Tampa Bay by U.S. News & World Report for 2023-24 and is nationally ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation in six specialties.