ðə fˈɜːst ɹˈɪʔn̩ mˈɛnʃən ʌv ˌeɪtʃˌɛstˈiː wʌz ˌɔn ˈeɪpɹəl ɪlˈɛvən, wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd θɹˈiː, ɪn ɐ lˈɛɾɚ baɪ hwˈɑːn də ˈɑːɹɡuːˌaɪz, ðə bˈɪʃəp ʌv pˈænəmˌɑː sˈɪɾi tə kˈɪŋ fˈɪlɪp vˈiː ʌv spˈeɪn wˌɛɹ hiː tˈoʊld hˌɪm ɐbˌaʊt ɐ hˈɑːspɪs hiː fˈaʊndᵻd ænd ðæt hɐdbɪn wˈɜːkɪŋ sˈɪns ðə dˈeɪ ʌv sˈeɪnt tˈɑːməs ʌv vˈɪlɐnˌuːvə, sɛptˈɛmbɚ twˈɛnti tˈuː, wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd tˈuː tə tɹˈiːt pˈʊɹ wˈɪmɪn hˌuː hæd nˈoʊwɛɹ tə ɡˌoʊ ænd hiː bˈɛɡd hˌɪm tə bˈɛɹ tə ðɪs hˈɑːspɪs ðə tˈaɪɾəl ʌv hˈɑːspɪɾəl.
The first written mention of HST was on April 11, 1703, in a letter by Juan de Argüeyes, the Bishop of Panama City to King Philip V of Spain where he told him about a hospice he founded and that had been working since the day of Saint Thomas of Villanueva, September 22, 1702 to treat poor women who had nowhere to go and he begged him to bear to this hospice the title of hospital.