The legal fight to protect the iconic name of Home G. Phillips Hospital continues, with members of the Homer G. Phillips Nurses Alumni staging a rally on Saturday April 27 outside a three-bed privately owned medical facility at 1320 N. Jefferson.
In 2022, the Nurses Alumni, Inc. filed a lawsuit against developer Paul McKee for copyright infringement after he labeled the facility Homer G. Phillips Hospital.
The case has been moved from Federal Court to the Circuit Court following several delays and rescheduled trial dates, including a January court date.
The first Circuit Court appearance is set for 9 a.m. August 8, 2024 in Clayton.
“[McKee] refused to meet or seek the approval of Homer G. Phillips Nurses Alumni, Inc. to use their copyrighted name. What’s at stake is violation of federal law and the commercialization, for private gain, of the legacy of African Americans,” the Alumni Association said in a release.
The Change the Name Coalition is also challenging the use of the name and is supporting the Alumni Association in its effort to protect their copyright, and their efforts to remove the name of Attorney Homer G. Phillips from the privately-owned facility located at 1320 N. Jefferson.
“The legacy of his name needs to remain in the Ville,” Alumni President Yvonne B. Jones said in a KMOX interview.
“They can pick another name for that hospital. We’re gonna fight this all the way to the end. We are not against the facility; we just want the name removed and keep it in the Ville.”
Many Black elected officials and community leaders are alarmed with McKee’s use of acclaimed Black attorney and civil rights leader who was instrumental in the founding of the hospital.
The Homer G Phillips Hospital opened in 1937 and was the only public hospital for Black St. Louisans until 1955. The hospital was also a training facility for Black doctors and nurses both nationally and internationally to complete their medical residences.
By the early 60s, the hospital had trained the largest number of Black doctors and nurses in the world. Homer G. Phillips Hospital was more than a hospital in the Black community. It was a place where goals could be accomplished, Black excellence was celebrated, and future Black professionals had a chance to succeed and prosper.
By the late 70s, the city defunded the hospital. It would soon close despite protests and political attempts to stave off its end.
Decades later the historical hospital’s name is a rallying point for community members still fighting to preserve the legacy of Homer G. Phillips.
A GoFundMe account has been created to help support the Nurse Alumni with the legal fees to continue the lawsuit.
