O'Reilly General Hospital: The Hospital with a Soul

O’Reilly General Hospital, a WWII-era army hospital in Springfield, MO., is remembered as “the hospital with a soul.” The facility became a model for military hospitals across the country as physicians and staff pioneered and performed often cutting edge medical techniques. More than 100,000 soldiers, dependents and prisoners of war were treated at O’Reilly throughout the war years; its beginnings and history in the Springfield, MO community a remarkable and inspiring story. The legacy of O’Reilly General Hospital did not end with WWII—it is present today.

O’Reilly General Hospital: The Hospital with a Soul is a one hour locally produced documentary by Ozarks Public Television that pays tribute to this remarkable facility and the men and women known as our Greatest Generation. Highlights of our documentary include first-person memories from veterans, rich historical context from scholars, and extensive archival photos, newspaper clippings and films. Our program is made possible by the gracious participation of many community members and the generous financial support of our program funders.

The program is presented in HD and is an example of OPT’s on-going commitment to document, present and preserve historical stories from our Ozarks region.