San Diego Naval Hospital
| Naval Medical Center San Diego | |
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Aerial view of the Naval Medical Center San Diego as seen in the 1950s
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| Active | 1917 – Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Type | Hospital |
| Part of | Navy Medicine West, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery |
| Motto(s) | The Pride of Navy Medicine |
Coordinates: 32°43′30″N 117°08′45″W / 32.72500°N 117.14583°W
Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), also known as Bob Wilson Naval Hospital and informally referred to as "Balboa Hospital", is a technologically advanced Navy medical treatment facility. Located within the grounds of Balboa Park in San Diego, the hospital has played a role in the history of San Diego for more than 80 years. The goal has remained constant, to provide the finest medical care in a family-centered care environment to operational forces, their families, and veterans. Organizationally, the hospital is first and foremost a military command.
As the United States entered World War I, San Diegans offered the nearly empty Balboa Park after the 1915 Panama–California Exposition to be used by various branches of the U.S. military for barracks and training purposes. During this time, a hospital tent was set up at the present location of the San Diego Natural History Museum. In September 1919, city leaders set aside a 17-acre (6.9 ha) parcel at Inspiration Point in Balboa Park for use in constructing a permanent Naval hospital. This donation, along with other purchased land, allowed for the development of a 85-acre (34 ha), 89-building complex with 2,600 beds. The first unit opened in 1925.
During World War II, due to large numbers of casualties coming from the Pacific Theater of Operations, the hospital expanded to include most of the buildings in present-day Balboa Park. For instance, the Navy Nurses were housed at the House of Hospitality and the California Building, Fine Arts Gallery and the San Diego Natural History Museum were converted into hospital wards. The Lily Pond was used for swim training, the Japanese Tea Garden as a Red Cross Servicemen's Center, the House of Pacific Relations as officers' quarters and the Palisades as a Hospital Corps School named Camp Kidd. The Balboa Complex, to include the main Naval Hospital, treated approximately 172,000 patients with a maximum occupancy of 12,000 in December, 1944. In 1946 the Balboa Park grounds and buildings were returned to the city.
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