
Advancing Academic Medicine in Kansas City
The history of The University of Kansas Health System is a tale of triumph. From humble beginnings on Goat Hill in the small town of Rosedale, now part of Kansas City, Kansas, we have evolved into a destination academic health system sought out by patients and top-notch medical professionals from around the country. Our reputation as the region's premier academic medical center was hard-earned through a collective vision and commitment to unmatched patient care.
Hospital origins
With his donation of land in 1905, Simeon Bell, MD, set the stage for academic medicine in Kansas City and the region. His gift led to the establishment of a hospital founded in 1906 as part of the University of Kansas School of Medicine. The first hospital was quickly outgrown, so a new Bell Hospital opened in 1911, still on Goat Hill, and almost doubled the capacity of its predecessor. By 1924, the hospital had outgrown its space again, so a new hospital was built on a site near the health system’s current main campus, about a mile south of Goat Hill, near West 39th Avenue and Rainbow Boulevard in Kansas City.
The hospital marked an important milestone in 1998 when it became an independent hospital authority, receiving no state funding and no longer part of the School of Medicine. The hospital's official name became The University of Kansas Hospital.
Nearly 20 years later, another milestone occurred. The University of Kansas Hospital joined with the University of Kansas Physicians in 2017 to form The University of Kansas Health System.
This shall be a place where the people of Kansas and areas surrounding may enjoy the best medical care available anywhere. – Simeon Bishop Bell, MD
Hospital milestones
