Our History

Over 100 Years of Quality Care

The oldest civilian hospital in Lawton, Southwestern Medical Center began as Turner and Lewis Private Hospital and Training School for Nurses on October 17, 1907. Drs. Turner and Lewis saw the need for a modern hospital in the frontier city of Lawton, Oklahoma, and were determined to bring the best healthcare possible to their adopted hometown. They built a brick institution at the corner of 4th Street and South Boundary (now 402 Lee Boulevard) with 12 beds and six private rooms.

Turner and Lewis Private Hospital and Training School for Nurses

In 1911, Dr. Lewis renamed the institution Southwestern Hospital and ran it on his own. In the later part of that decade, a consortium of local physicians, “Comanche County Hospital, Inc.”, leased Southwestern Hospital from Dr. Lewis. After the First World War, Dr. Lewis sold the Hospital to a talented pair of physicians from the consortium: Dr. George S. Barber and Dr. Ernest B. Dunlap. These doctors continued the Hospital’s tradition of providing both medical care and education. Many graduates of their Training School for Nurses became leaders in the nursing profession throughout southwestern Oklahoma before the School closed in 1927.

Southwestern Hospital

In 1936, Dr. Barber and Dr. Dunlap formed a corporation with four other physicians: Drs. L. W. Ferguson, Fred T. Fox, Sr., O. L. Parsons, and G. G. Downing. The Corporation expanded the facility to 40 beds and renamed it Southwestern Clinic Hospital. Under this name, the Hospital remained until the 1970s, expanding along the way from 40 to 127 beds while the Corporation expanded to a 13-member board of physician-owners. In 1970, the physicians sold the Hospital, then the largest privately owned medical institution in the state, to Chanco Medical and Electronics Enterprises. American Medical International, Inc. (AMI) acquired the Hospital in 1972 and returned its name to Southwestern Hospital in 1977. AMI built a new 106,000-square-foot regional medical complex just a few miles west at 5602 S. W. Lee Boulevard in 1986, renaming the institution Southwestern Medical Center.

Southwestern Medical Center Today

Southwestern became a member of the nation’s first employee-owned healthcare company in 1988 when it joined the EPIC Healthcare Group. Ownership was transferred when EPIC merged with HealthTrust, Inc., in 1994. Southwestern became part of America’s largest healthcare company when HCA, The Healthcare Company, merged with HealthTrust in February 1995. Today, Southwestern Medical Center is a modern 243,267-square-foot regional healthcare center where new technology is consistently incorporated.

Founding Member of ScionHealth

In December 2021, Southwestern Medical Center became a founding member of a new healthcare system, ScionHealth, which operates approximately 80 acute and post-acute care hospital campuses in 28 states, including Southwestern Regional Medical Center. Both ScionHealth and Southwestern Medical Center are focused on driving innovation, serving their communities, and investing in people and technology to deliver compassionate patient care and excellent health outcomes.

For more information about ScionHealth, go to www.scionhealth.com.