Kelsey-Seybold Clinic
Encyclopedia
The Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is a large multi-specialty clinic system located in the metro area of Houston, Texas
. The clinic system is a major provider of healthcare for NASA
and a center for healthcare research.
model. These types of clinics bring specialists, primary care physicians, nurses and other care givers together as a team to provide the best possible care.
In 1949, Dr. Kelsey, an internal medicine
specialist, leased space in the Hermann Professional Building and set up his practice. Over the next two years, he would welcome two of his Mayo friends, Dr. William D. Seybold, a surgeon
, and Dr. William V. Leary, another internist, to the practice.
Dr. Kelsey’s brother, John R. Kelsey, Jr., another Mayo-trained physician and specialist in gastroenterology
, joined the practice in 1953. Also joining the multi-specialty team in the 1950s were a psychiatrist, cardiologist and rheumatologist. In 1953, Clinic doctors began serving rotations at area hospitals, including Hermann Hospital, Baylor University Medical College (now Baylor College of Medicine
), and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
On December 15, 1956, the Kelsey and Leary Foundation for the Advancement of Medicine was established to provide scholarships and financial support for research. The Kelsey Foundation, as it is known today, is involved in a variety of research projects with universities, pharmaceutical companies, government bodies and hospitals in the Texas Medical Center. Research areas include cancer, epilepsy, cardiology, diabetes and obstetrics.
During the 1960s, the Clinic added more specialists and more departments. The rapidly expanding Radiology
Department added lab technicians, while the multi-specialty team continued to grow with the addition of a pediatrician and otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose & Throat specialist). New departments included Pediatrics
, Rheumatology
, Dermatology
, Urology
, Ophthalmology
and Dentistry
.
In 1964, the Clinic moved into new facilities at 6624 Fannin. That building is now the St. Luke's Tower. Dr. Leary joined the staff of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 1965 and the Clinic's name was changed to Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. For over half a century, the Kelsey-Seybold name has been synonymous with multi-specialty healthcare in Houston.
Throughout the clinic's long association with NASA, they have contributed medical support services to the Apollo, Skylab
, Apollo-Soyuz and Space Shuttle
and International Space Station (ISS). Concerning the ISS, Kelsey-Seybold has provided a NASA Support Physician in Moscow since the inception of the International Space Station. Dr. Jose F. Flores has served in that capacity since 1998. Additionally, Dr. Flores provides medical support at all Soyuz launches in Baikonur,Kazakhstan involving American astronauts and has also provided medical support at certain Soyuz landings. Flores attended the launch of Zarya, the first unmanned module launched by Russia in 1998 and has attended every manned Soyuz launch with an American astronaut on board to the present day.
Kelsey-Seybold also provides contract medical services in six locations in the U.S.
and international patients from Saudi Arabia, India and Africa. More Latin Americans visited Kelsey-Seybold Clinic than any other U.S. clinic during this period.
In 1971, KSC opened its first neighborhood health center on Post Oak in the Uptown District
of Houston. The success of that health center resulted in other locations being operated in downtown Houston
, Sugar Land
, The Woodlands
and by Intercontinental Airport. Today, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic operates more than 20 neighborhood health centers in the Houston area.
Dr. William Seybold retired in 1979 and Dr. Mavis Kelsey retired in 1986. The Clinic they founded continued to increase its presence in the Houston service sector.
In 1999, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic moved into its state-of-the-art Main Campus at 2727 West Holcombe Blvd. The 400000 square feet (37,161.2 m²) Main Campus building provides primary and specialty care in a single location, an outpatient surgery
center, and an urgent care
center.
Today, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic combines the expertise of more than 370 physicians in 50-plus medical specialties and sub-specialties and offers a full range of diagnostic testing services and treatments, serving more than 400,000 patients - including managed care plans, employer groups and the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. The clinic system is a major provider of healthcare for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and a center for healthcare research.
History of Kelsey-Seybold
The formation of Kelsey-Seybold Clinic began in 1949 by Dr. Mavis P. Kelsey with the purpose of combining primary and specialty medical services in one location in the city of Houston. This was a popular concept of the day based on the Mayo ClinicMayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
model. These types of clinics bring specialists, primary care physicians, nurses and other care givers together as a team to provide the best possible care.
In 1949, Dr. Kelsey, an internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
specialist, leased space in the Hermann Professional Building and set up his practice. Over the next two years, he would welcome two of his Mayo friends, Dr. William D. Seybold, a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
, and Dr. William V. Leary, another internist, to the practice.
Dr. Kelsey’s brother, John R. Kelsey, Jr., another Mayo-trained physician and specialist in gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
, joined the practice in 1953. Also joining the multi-specialty team in the 1950s were a psychiatrist, cardiologist and rheumatologist. In 1953, Clinic doctors began serving rotations at area hospitals, including Hermann Hospital, Baylor University Medical College (now Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
), and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
On December 15, 1956, the Kelsey and Leary Foundation for the Advancement of Medicine was established to provide scholarships and financial support for research. The Kelsey Foundation, as it is known today, is involved in a variety of research projects with universities, pharmaceutical companies, government bodies and hospitals in the Texas Medical Center. Research areas include cancer, epilepsy, cardiology, diabetes and obstetrics.
During the 1960s, the Clinic added more specialists and more departments. The rapidly expanding Radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
Department added lab technicians, while the multi-specialty team continued to grow with the addition of a pediatrician and otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose & Throat specialist). New departments included Pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
, Rheumatology
Rheumatology
Rheumatology is a sub-specialty in internal medicine and pediatrics, devoted to diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Clinicians who specialize in rheumatology are called rheumatologists...
, Dermatology
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
, Urology
Urology
Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
, Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
and Dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
.
In 1964, the Clinic moved into new facilities at 6624 Fannin. That building is now the St. Luke's Tower. Dr. Leary joined the staff of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 1965 and the Clinic's name was changed to Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. For over half a century, the Kelsey-Seybold name has been synonymous with multi-specialty healthcare in Houston.
Affiliation with NASA
In 1966, the Clinic became the first contract medical service provider for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Dr. Stanton P. Fischer, a pulmonologist, joined the staff a year earlier and assisted in providing executive physical examinations on NASA employees and other contractors.Throughout the clinic's long association with NASA, they have contributed medical support services to the Apollo, Skylab
Skylab
Skylab was a space station launched and operated by NASA, the space agency of the United States. Skylab orbited the Earth from 1973 to 1979, and included a workshop, a solar observatory, and other systems. It was launched unmanned by a modified Saturn V rocket, with a mass of...
, Apollo-Soyuz and Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
and International Space Station (ISS). Concerning the ISS, Kelsey-Seybold has provided a NASA Support Physician in Moscow since the inception of the International Space Station. Dr. Jose F. Flores has served in that capacity since 1998. Additionally, Dr. Flores provides medical support at all Soyuz launches in Baikonur,Kazakhstan involving American astronauts and has also provided medical support at certain Soyuz landings. Flores attended the launch of Zarya, the first unmanned module launched by Russia in 1998 and has attended every manned Soyuz launch with an American astronaut on board to the present day.
Kelsey-Seybold also provides contract medical services in six locations in the U.S.
Patients served
Among the many patients who came to Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in the late 60s and 70s were entertainers like Roy RogersRoy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
and international patients from Saudi Arabia, India and Africa. More Latin Americans visited Kelsey-Seybold Clinic than any other U.S. clinic during this period.
In 1971, KSC opened its first neighborhood health center on Post Oak in the Uptown District
Uptown Houston
The Uptown District of Houston is located 6.2 miles west of downtown and is centered along Post Oak Boulevard, Westheimer Road , and the Galleria...
of Houston. The success of that health center resulted in other locations being operated in downtown Houston
Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...
, Sugar Land
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
, The Woodlands
The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands is a master-planned community and a Census-designated place in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The population of the CDP was 55,649 at the 2000 census—a 90 percent increase over its 1990 population. According to the 2010 census, The Woodlands' population rose...
and by Intercontinental Airport. Today, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic operates more than 20 neighborhood health centers in the Houston area.
Current administrators and expansion
In 1978, Dr. James C. Hoyle joined the staff of Pediatrics. Dr. Hoyle is the current Medical Director, Clinical Operations. In 1980, Dr. Spencer R. Berthelsen, an internist and current Chairman of the Board joined the group.Dr. William Seybold retired in 1979 and Dr. Mavis Kelsey retired in 1986. The Clinic they founded continued to increase its presence in the Houston service sector.
In 1999, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic moved into its state-of-the-art Main Campus at 2727 West Holcombe Blvd. The 400000 square feet (37,161.2 m²) Main Campus building provides primary and specialty care in a single location, an outpatient surgery
Outpatient surgery
Outpatient surgery, also known as ambulatory surgery, same-day surgery or day surgery, is surgery that does not require an overnight hospital stay. The term “outpatient” arises from the fact that surgery patients may go home and do not need an overnight hospital bed...
center, and an urgent care
Urgent care
Urgent care is the delivery of ambulatory care in a facility dedicated to the delivery of medical care outside of a hospital emergency department, usually on an unscheduled, walk-in basis. Urgent care centers are primarily used to treat patients who have an injury or illness that requires immediate...
center.
Today, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic combines the expertise of more than 370 physicians in 50-plus medical specialties and sub-specialties and offers a full range of diagnostic testing services and treatments, serving more than 400,000 patients - including managed care plans, employer groups and the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.