Southwestern Medical Center

The oldest civilian hospital in Lawton, Southwestern Medical Center began as Turner and Lewis Private Hospital and Training School for Nurses on October 17, 1907. Drs. Turner and Lewis saw the need for a modern hospital in the frontier city of Lawton, Oklahoma and were determined to bring the best healthcare possible to their adopted hometown. They built a brick institution at the corner of 4th Street and South Boundary (now 402 Lee Boulevard) with 12 beds in two three-bed wards (one for men and the other for women) and six private rooms. There was also a dining room, operating room and a doctors' dressing room which also served as the laboratory as well as nursing quarters. By 1909, Drs. Turner and Lewis were providing ambulance service within Lawton and certain parts of Comanche County.