Our Community

In August 1908, the Southwestern Presbyterian Sanatorium (the “San”) opened in a small cottage in Albuquerque, overlooking the Rio Grande and the Sandias. Its early purpose was singular: to care for the growing tide of people with tuberculosis traveling west for "the cure." By October 24, 1908, the institution was formally incorporated, cementing its foundation as a charitable medical mission. The San grew quickly - first with tent cottages, then with small wooden structures - because Albuquerque’s dry climate and sunshine drew increasing numbers of patients. This early expansion set the stage for a much larger role in the community.

Nearly four years after the formation of the San, New Mexico became the 47th state of the United States. Statehood was proclaimed on January 6, 1912, by President William Howard Taft. New Mexico had been a U.S. territory since 1850, just a couple of years after the end of the Mexican-American War.

In 1921, Marion Kellogg journeyed to Albuquerque to help care for her ill fiancé, Jimmie Van Devanter. Her talent for organization, compassion and relentless problem-solving immediately caught the attention of San leadership. By 1922, she was officially hired and over the next six decades she became the institution’s moral center. Mrs. Van was widely known, coordinating patient comfort, overseeing staff, managing finances and embodying Presbyterian’s ethic of service.

Route 66 runs along Central Ave where the San was also located. For Presbyterian, this meant the San became part of a major national transit corridor, increasing the number of both people seeking tuberculosis care and later, other travelers requiring medical attention.

By the early 1930s, tuberculosis care was no longer the only focus at the San. Community need, made worse by Depression-era hardship and Route 66 migrants, drove the need for a more full service medical facility. In 1933, Presbyterian Hospital opened with obstetrics, X-ray, laboratory and surgical services. The hospital filled almost immediately, an indicator of both community demand and the strain caused by travelers heading to California along Route 66.

Funded by Albert Gallatin Simms in memory of Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms, this new wing added maternity and pediatric care. It became a physical symbol of Presbyterian’s evolution into a broad community hospital that met family and childbirth needs at a time when the city was rapidly growing.

In 1952, Ray Woodham, hospital administrator, was hired to modernize the transitioning organization. He tackled financial instability, reorganized services and accelerated the shift away from sanatorium operations. Along with these changes, the San was renamed Presbyterian Hospital Center (PHC) to better reflect the medical and hospital services available.

From 1954-1964, the Federal Hill-Burton Act support allowed Presbyterian to construct new facilities, add beds, build operating rooms and expand outpatient services. This aligned with Albuquerque's explosive population growth, reinforcing Presbyterian’s role in the city’s healthcare landscape.

By 1967, the last of the original San buildings were demolished to create space for modern hospital facilities. This symbolic and structural transition underscored the completion of Presbyterian’s evolution from sanatorium to metropolitan hospital.

The planning and building of Interstate 40 (I-40) began after the Federal Highway Act of 1956 established the modern interstate highway system that we know today. Throughout the 1960s, continuous construction could be seen throughout Albuquerque, including the completion of the "Big I" interchange in 1966. By 1970, I-40 was completed. Its route through Albuquerque largely replaced U.S. Route 66, providing a new high-speed corridor across the state that would be important to helping the city continue to grow.

During the 1970s, Presbyterian began managing or owning hospitals in Belen, Ruidoso, Artesia, Socorro, Gallup, Española, Clovis, Lovington and Tucumcari. This marked the beginning of its identity as a statewide healthcare system.

This expansion marked one of the most significant modernization efforts at Presbyterian Hospital in decades. This phase included redesigning the campus, improving patient flow, expanding specialty services and updating aging facilities. This work also laid the groundwork for major service enhancements that would follow in the early 2000s, including expanded women’s, children’s and cardiac programs.

Presbyterian celebrates one hundred years of improving the health of New Mexicans.

Despite challenges with staffing and supplies during the pandemic, the 10 story F Tower opened at Presbyterian Hospital, featuring private patient rooms, healing gardens and updated technology.

From a cottage on Central Ave to a statewide health system, Presbyterian’s story is one of reinvention driven by community service: first for patients with tuberculosis, and now a wide range of accessible care for all New Mexicans. We are determined to care for the communities we serve.