Our History
The story of UMH is one of a community taking care of its own, and emerged from humble beginnings. In 1928, Dr. George Merritt opened Uvalde’s first 7-bed hospital in his home. In 1937, Dr. Merritt built a second hospital across from his home on Martin Street and increased the number of beds to 10. The Uvalde County Health Committee invited the community to a gift shower to stock the new $11,000 hospital and the community responded generously with gifts of bed sheets, towels, and mattresses.
Our Mission: To promote the healing of those we serve by providing compassionate, high-quality healthcare.
Less than ten years later it became evident to community leaders that a larger and more comprehensive facility was needed to meet the healthcare needs of the current residents, as well as provide an impetus for future economic growth. In February 1946, a bond issue was passed to finance the construction of Memorial Hospital on eight and one-half acres gifted to the hospital.
Hospital Open House circa 1952
In 1949, the $1 million, 39-bed Memorial Hospital opened on Garner Field Road. As demand grew, the current 62-bed hospital opened in 1971 with expanded services. A major outpatient expansion followed in 1996, and in 2010, the Kate Marmion Regional Cancer Center was added—bringing the first radiation therapy west of San Antonio, funded by $5 million in community support.
In 2022, Uvalde Memorial Hospital opened its new state-of-the-art facility—a 180,000-square-foot hospital with 48 beds (licensed for 25 inpatient beds as a critical access facility). This modern campus replaced the original 1971 building and significantly enhanced the level of care available to the community.
Now, in 2025, construction is underway on a new multi-specialty medical office building, designed to further expand access to specialty care and continue UMH’s commitment to advancing healthcare in the region.