Pender Community Hospital

Description

Our Mission
The Mission of the PCH District is to provide a continuum of exceptional healthcare services in a healing environment for everyone

Our Vision
The Vision of the PCH District is to be the best place to get care and the best place to give care

History

Dr John Buis opened Logan Valley Hospital the first hospital in Pender in 1913 The new brick hospital had eight patient beds a surgery section and living quarters for the physician and his family The original building is currently an apartment house at the intersection of Thurston Avenue and Logan Street

The Pender Community Hospital Association a nonprofit association was formed in 1952 to construct a new hospital The first Board elected by the group included RC Benson Chairman Wm H Hoppner Secretary RRSmith Vice Chairman WF Wenke Treasurer Carl Wichman John Hilker Claus Malmberg Herman Westerhold and Wallis Malmberg Trustees

Construction of the new hospital began in 1954 at a cost of 320 990 HillBurton Funds from the Federal government provided 153836 and over 1200 individuals from Pender and the surrounding area donated 167154 The hospital was a 24bed unit with 3 pediatric beds and 7 bassinets The regular staff physicians were Dr J T Keown and Dr CG Muffly The hospital was a fine source of employment with a staff of 27 employees some parttime and a 1959 payroll of 52000 The Lutheran Hospitals and Homes Society Fargo ND operated the hospital under a lease agreement with Mattie Miller as the Superintendent

The Pender Community Hospital District was formed by an election of the electorate in November 1969 The District includes the western twothirds of Thurston County approximately 100 square miles of Cuming County and smaller sections of Burt and Wayne Counties The first Board appointed included Lowell Tonjes Chairman Blair Richendifer Vice Chairman Densil Christiansen SecretaryTreasurer Carl Swanson and Hilmer Wiig Other individuals who served on the Board from its inception until the new hospital was completed included Darrell Merry Lyle Hansen William Bates Carl Wichman Richard Munderloh and Gerald Gabel The District issued bonds of 584000 in 1970 to expand the Hospital by 32 beds The Board accepted the bid of Christiansen Construction of 491327 and the work was completed in 1971

The lease arrangement with Lutheran Homes was terminated in 1988 and replaced with a management contract with Mercy Medical CenterSioux City The Pender Community Health Care Foundation was incorporated in 1991 and shortly thereafter it purchased the Medical Clinic building from Methodist Hospital in Omaha

The Foundation initiated a capital campaign in 1996 that raised pledges of approximately 1065000 to expand the hospital for outpatient specialty services surgery renovation new birthing suite and other clinical and office areas During renovation surgery was performed for several months in portable MASH units provided by the United States Army The open house was held in September 1998 and many community residents attended The District Board members during this phase were Harold Swanson Chair Norman Wichman Vice Chair Larry Wingett SecretaryTreasurer Larry Kjeldgaard and Mike Gatzemeyer
July 1 2001 Pender Community Hospital was designated a Critical Access Hospital CAH Rural Hospitals were unintentionally harmed when Congress made changes in the way they paid for services to Medicare patients When Congress recognized the problems they created the Critical Access Hospital program This allows Medicare to use a different method to pay small rural hospitals for services compared to larger hospitals

January 1 2003 Pender Community Hospital District purchased the Pender Care Centre from Care Centre Management Jeannie Jorgenson was the administrator at the time of purchase Roger Mazour Pender Community Hospital CEO acquired his Nursing Home Administrators license and assumed the duties on February 26 2004 After Mazours death April 13 2005 Pat Lichty assumed the Administrator duties until the present

Roger Mazour past CEO had a dream of providing the retirement community of Pender a safe and comfortable environment to live in rather than move away from their homes in Pender March 1 2009 that vision was fulfilled as the completed project of Prairie Breeze Assisted Living was dedicated in Roger Mazours memory Kerwin Kent donated a portion of the 11acre of ground to the Pender Community Hospital Foundation Prairie Breeze is a 16 unit free standing building located on Slaughter Street west of Pender This 25 million project was partially funded by a low interest loan from USDA and financed by Pender State Bank

In 2009 Pender Community Hospital purchased 8 acres of ground from the Lee Breitbarth family This land is directly to the south of the current location at 603 Earl St Future plans are being made to expand the hospital and its facilities to allow for growth of the Pender Community Hospital District Current PCH Board of Directors is Steve Hansen Board Chairman Bob MorganVice Chairman Brian KentSecretaryTreasurer Lynette Roth and Dave Duffy

The hospital has benefited over the years by a very competent and committed physician group Dr Charles Muffly continued to serve the hospital until 1998 Physicians staffing PCH have also included James Mabie MD 1968 to 1983 Ben Martin MD 1965 to present David Hoelting MD 1978 to present Matt Felber MD 2000 to present and Matt Timm MD 2006 present Physician Assistants Tamara Binder PAC 19932005 Greg Morrison PAC 19951998 Sara Palmer PAC 19982001 Jeff Munderloh PAC 2001present and Quinn Kneifl PAC 2005 present assist the local medical staff in providing primary care

Previous administrators serving Pender Community Hospital have been Mattie Miller 19561967 Duane Kanwisher 19671971 Ralph Sohljem 19711975 Dave Hove 19751976 Gary Hermanson 19761979 Jerry Jurena 19791985 Ken Olsson 19851988 Vic Saghi 19881989 Bill Faust 1989 Keith Vander Kolk 19891990 Jeff Brittain interim 1993 Ryan Baldwin 19931995 Kevin Kueny 19951997 Roger Mazour 19972005 Mike Hansen 20052009 and Roger Lenz interim 20092010

Previous Directors of Nursing at Pender Community Hospital were Mattie Miller 19561968 JoAnne Vraspir 19681973 Kathy Pagels 19731974 Gloria Vollers 19741990 Dee Moeller 19902006 Sandy Pierce 20062009 and Katie Peterson 2009present

The Pender Community Hospital District is a model of an effective Rural Health System We have been blessed throughout the years with the dedication of the medical staff Board of Directors and hospital staff This tradition continues today Through the loyalty and generous support of everyone making up the hospital district we continue to deliver top quality health care Right where you need us