1. History

2. Re-opening as United Community Hospital

3. The building today

4. References

Southwest Detroit Hospital (later United Community Hospital) was a hospital located in the Mexicantown neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. Opened in 1974 as the first Detroit hospital to hire and accredit black doctors and nurses (which at the time, was uncommon in regular hospital settings)^[3], the original hospital was only in existence for 16 years, when it declared bankruptcy in 1991 and closed for good.^[2] The hospital re-opened in 1997 as United Community Hospital, but struggled to keep a stable financial health for its short existence and closed once again in January of 2006.^[4] The building has sat abandoned ever since, with various redevelopment plans falling through over the years.

History

Before and during the civil rights movement, it would be very uncommon practice to see an African-American doctor within a larger hospital, and because of this, were usually segregated to black-only hospitals. These hospitals during that time were usually in very poor quality, leading to the very poor health of the community compared to their white counterparts.^[5] Many of these hospitals are now gone (the only black-owned and operated hospital remaining in America being Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C.^[6]), including those that lead to the founding of Southwest Detroit Hospital. By the mid to late 1960s, several small black hospitals in Detroit, which has had a relatively high African-American population in modern times, had merged to form one larger hospital to serve their communities better. This became Southwest Detroit Hospital.^[3]

The hospitals of Boulevard General, Delray General, Burton Mercy and Trumbull General (the last being black-owned, and the newest of the pack) had decided to merge their resources for a larger hospital by the early 1970s, deciding on a 246-bed hospital at a cost of $21 million.^[1][3] The hospital's construction was done by 1974, being granted the deed to the building that September.^[7] The hospital operated under stable conditions for the first few years, until the late 1970's, when the hospital began to be embarked in lawsuits and controversy.

In 1977, a doctor at Southwest, Leonardo Lopez, alongside was charged for selling illegal forms of amphetamines and was suspended from practicing medicine for 6 months, ending up back at the hospital later, on the condition that he could only perscribe there.^[8] Lopez had tried to appeal the ruling, but failed to do so. This was part of a larger operation where over 86 doctors had been hit with various charges related to unethical doctoral decisions.

In 1990, the 6th District court in Michigan heard the case of Elease Thornton, who sued the hospital, saying that the hospital released her from the hospital in unstable condition following a stroke, where she stayed at for 21 days in August of 1987. Thornton had been admitted to a local rehabilitation center that December following an initial denial into the center due to a lack of health insurance. Even though the Circuit Court of Appeals ruled alongside the 6th District - that Thornton was in stable enough shape to be discharged from the hospital - therefore, following the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act - it could be easily believed that this was a final blow to the hospital, as the hospital would soon declare bankruptcy and close a year later.^[9][10] Some operations would continue to stay open until 1993.^[11]

Re-opening as United Community Hospital

In 1996, Ultimed, a company owned and led by Detroit businessman and developer Harley K. Brown, purchased the building for $1.5 million and re-opened the hospital under the name United Community Hospital, which then opened in 1997. Brown invested $6 million in renovations and updates for the first two floors of the hospital in 1999.^[11][12] Even though this seemed promising, the hospital still struggled, just like its predecessor on the same grounds.

Ultimed, by this point, was involved in unethical financial decisions among its directors - including Brown - with funds from small businesses Ulticare was providing insurance to, as well as including $15 million in taxpayer funds it was receiving from Wayne County. Directors had also used their corporate American Express cards on lavish, non-company expenses, such as trips to the Virgin Islands, Japan, China, and Las Vegas, as well as meals at top-of-the-line restaurants and other various luxury expenses. Among this, Ultimed had lacked in paying claims, leading up to as much as 1,500 complaints to the county.^[12]

On January 25, 2006, following nearly $2.5 million in unpaid claims, Ultimed was placed into rehabilitation by the Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation and placed under the hands of a court-appointed rehabilitator, until the company would be determined if it should be declared insolvent. The company no longer exists, and the building sits abandoned to this day. Brown still owns the building, and is facing jail time for unpaid child support as of October 2018.^[13][14]

The building today

Harley K. Brown still owns the building to this day; however, he does not pay the taxes on the building - but instead has been paid by Detroit landlord Dennis Kefallinos, since 2016. The building has since been totally hollowed out and sits plainly as a steel structure. A sign depicting a mixed-use development, including businesses, restaurants, and a second location of Detroit pizza chain Niki's Pizza, appeared on the property in May 2018, however, these claims have not been confirmed. Kefallinos had previously stated to the Detroit Free Press that he had been looking to lease the building to a third-party.^[15]

Many urban exploration bloggers and YouTubers who've visited the structure claim the structure still had items from the hospital's operations left, including medical records, hospital equipment and various mechanical equipment that keeps the building operating. A blogger from the site Pixable commented that the basement was completely frozen over from the flooded basement. The building was also covered in bullet holes and various gang graffiti visible from nearby I-96 including the large tag which read "Purge Suey."^[16] Brown was ordered by city officials to clean up the graffiti and interior debris, as well as pump out the flooded basement in 2015.^[17][15]

References

• Guldo
• Gul Dukat
• Gulek Bogazi
• Gulen
• Gules
• Gulf Air
• Gulf Air Flight 771
• Gulf Air Transport
• Gulf and Florida Northern Railroad
• Gulf and Western
• Gulf and Western Inc.
• Gulf and Western Industries
• Gulf Arab/Arabic
• Gulf Arabic
• Gulf Blockading Squadron
• Gulf Breeze
• Gulf Breeze, FL
• Gulf Breeze, Florida
• Gulf Bridge
• Gulf Centre for Strategic Studies
• Gulf City, FL
• Gulf City, Florida
• Gulf Coast
• Gulf coast
• Gulf Coastal Plain