Fort Worth, Texas — Medical City Fort Worth is celebrating 50 years of caring for the community, marking a legacy of growth, innovation and commitment to the care and improvement of human life. Since its founding in 1976, the hospital has grown alongside the community into a full-service acute care hospital and tertiary referral center serving patients across the region.
To commemorate the milestone, Medical City Fort Worth will donate $25,000 to Tarrant Area Food Bank. The gift, courtesy of the HCA Healthcare Foundation’s Healthier Tomorrow Fund, will support the organization’s work to address hunger and food insecurity in North Texas.
“For 50 years, Medical City Fort Worth has been committed to improving care delivery across generations and caring for this community through moments of healing, hope and medical advancement,” says John Hoover, CEO of Medical City Fort Worth. “This milestone reflects the dedication of generations of colleagues, nurses, physicians and leaders who have helped build our hospital’s legacy. As we look to the future, we remain focused on delivering compassionate, high-quality care for the patients and families who depend on us.”
The City of Fort Worth will recognize the hospital’s longstanding service to the community with an official proclamation declaring August 27, 2026, as Medical City Fort Worth Day. The proclamation recognizes the hospital’s commitment to patient-centered care, community service and the health and well-being of Fort Worth residents. Medical City Fort Worth will also receive an award from the American Hospital Association recognizing 50 years of partnership.
Founded as Plaza Medical Center, Medical City Fort Worth is now a 378-bed, full-service acute care hospital with approximately 750 physicians. The hospital provides comprehensive healthcare services to Tarrant County and surrounding communities. Advanced specialties include cardiovascular services, neurosciences, oncology, orthopedics, kidney transplantation and emergency medicine.
Medical City Fort Worth is nationally recognized for excellence in patient care. The hospital is Magnet® recognized for nursing excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and has achieved this designation four times. Additional distinctions include The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval® for Chest Pain, designation as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, accreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and recognition as a Blue Distinction® Center+ for bariatric surgery.
Five decades of growth and innovation
Over the past 50 years, Medical City Fort Worth has expanded services, advanced specialty programs and invested in technology to meet the evolving needs of the community. Key milestones include:
- 1976: Plaza Medical Center opened, beginning 50 years of care for the Fort Worth community. The cardiac catheterization lab also opened, and the hospital performed its first open-heart surgery, expanding its ability to diagnose and treat serious heart conditions.
- 1980: Physicians performed the hospital’s first interventional cardiac catheterization, allowing them to treat certain heart conditions through a thin tube called a catheter, often without open surgery.
- 1990: Peripheral atherectomy was introduced, giving physicians a new way to remove plaque from blocked arteries outside the heart and help improve blood flow.
- 2000: The hospital completed an emergency room renovation and launched a clinical decision unit and internal medicine residency program, improving emergency care, short-term patient observation and physician training.
- 2003: The hospital expanded its cardiac catheterization lab, launched an electrophysiology program and introduced patent foramen ovale closure to advance stroke prevention.
- 2005: The hospital opened a Chest Pain Center, achieved Atrial Fibrillation accreditation and launched an emergency medical services partnership, strengthening heart and emergency care.
- 2009: The hospital achieved American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet recognition, a national designation recognizing nursing excellence and high-quality patient care. It also became the first hospital in Fort Worth to achieve Bariatric Center of Excellence Accreditation.
- 2012: The hospital performed its first solid organ transplant, marking a major advancement in its transplant services.
- 2013: The hospital became the first in Tarrant County to achieve certified Comprehensive Stroke Center designation, recognizing its ability to provide advanced care for complex stroke patients.
- 2014: The hospital earned its second ANCC Magnet redesignation.
- 2015: The hospital launched its structural heart program.
- 2016: The hospital was officially renamed Medical City Fort Worth.
- 2018: Tower B opened, adding space and capacity to care for more patients.
- 2019: The hospital completed its 500th transplant, opened Medical City ER White Settlement and earned its third ANCC Magnet redesignation.
- 2022: The hospital launched extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a lung nodule program and national accreditation for metabolic and bariatric surgery, expanding advanced life-support care, early lung cancer detection and weight-loss surgery services.
- 2023: The hospital opened orthopedic, neuroscience and medical-surgical units and completed its 1,000th transplant, adding new patient care capabilities and marking a major transplant milestone.
- 2025: The hospital expanded its cardiac catheterization lab and Surgical Services Department and performed its first tricuspid valve repair.
- 2026: The hospital opened its fifth catheterization lab and expanded its Emergency Department treatment area, increasing access to advanced heart and emergency care.
Medical City Fort Worth’s impact extends beyond hospital walls through community service, local partnerships and care for patients regardless of socioeconomic background. The hospital contributes $18.6 million in charity and unreimbursed care, $7.4 million in local property and sales taxes and $550 million in economic impact.
“Celebrating 50 years is a proud moment for our hospital and our community,” Hoover says. “We are grateful for the legacy built by those who came before us and excited to continue advancing care for the next generation.”