Clarke County Hospital

Description

MISSION STATEMENT

We deliver excellent compassionate and personalized health care for the people in south central Iowa

VISION STATEMENT

We will be the center of a unified health care delivery system by

Being a viable provider of wellness early detection and treatment
Continuing to grow and change to best meet the health care needs of our community
Providing technologically advanced life improving care
Being the employer of choice

History

A Vision Becomes a Reality
Since opening our doors in 1953 Clarke County Hospital has been a cornerstone of the community and south central Iowa We have grown and adapted in response to your needs And our pledge to you our neighbors families and friends is that we will continue to bring the most advanced and innovative services to assist you if you should ever need us It is through that need Clarke County Hospital started as a vision of community leaders during and shortly after World War II and became a reality Prior to construction of the Clarke County Public Hospital local doctors had their own hospitals in the community

It wasnt long after many of the local men returned home from overseas and America began rebuilding after World War II that the community talks began moving toward the construction of a public hospital in Osceola County officials demonstrated a need for the 32bed hospital and the services it could provide to the community Voters came out in significant support for a bond issue to construct a new hospital On Dec 11 1947 1249 Clarke County voters cast ballots in favor of the bond issue There was opposition to the community leaders vision but it was only 203 voters

On January 12 1953 hospital administrator William Hunting and the operating room laboratory kitchen laundry and business office staff began work inside the facility making trials runs to ensure it was adequately prepared when the new facility opened its doors on January 19 1953 The first patient on January 19 was R J Badger 89 of Murray Clarke County Hospital welcomed its first child being born at the facility just two days after opening to the public at 548 am Tuesday January 21 1953 A daughter was born to Osceola residents Mr and Mrs Adrian Fuller

In 1965 the average occupancy at the hospital was 107 percent CCH Administrator Yvonne Perry and the Board of Trustees Chairman RK McGee and fellow board members LL Hagie Wayne ONeall HG Aller Ward Reynoldson Marvin Miller and William Campbell elected to pursue another bond issue to expand 40 beds to the Osceolabased hospital The west wing opened in 1968

Excellence Close to Home
Nearly 50 years passed since more than 80 percent of Clarke County voters approved the construction of a new hospital in Osceola In those five decades healthcare underwent significant changes While CCH continued to expand its menu of services many area residents still traveled to Des Moines to have certain tests performed

At the start of the 21st Century Clarke County Hospital Administrator David Coates and the board of trustees made a commitment to provide as many of those services locally They developed a plan to expand such services as surgery diagnostic imaging lab and outpatient clinic areas as well as renovate the front lobby to provide more privacy for people being admitted to CCH or coming to the facility for testing


The hospital broke ground on the updating and renovation of the original facility on October 9 2001 The 71 million expansion and renovation project was the most significant and expensive in the hospitals history when it was completed in 2002

Key components of the project saw the construction of two new surgery suites a new infusion therapychemo therapy area and addition of private cubicles in the registration area In 2003 CCH became a critical access hospital which would ensure it remaining a viable economic entity and one of the largest employers in the community That designation also helped CCH in developing a longterm plan to remain a healthcare leader in Iowa Under new administrator Brian Evans who replaced the retired David Coates in March 2005 Clarke County Hospital continues to exhibit a strong commitment to quality health care When people come to us they need expertise they need to know quality of care is available they need to feel safe and comfortable and they need accessibility

In 2006 the hospital embarked on a threeyear 31 million secondfloor renovation project which was paid with profits instead of borrowing or bonding Recent decades saw expansion and improvements made on the first floor but similar renovations eluded the second floor where patient rooms are located The boardapproved plan saw a renovation of the semiprivate rooms with semiprivate baths and a community shower to private rooms with private bathrooms and showers The plan also resulted in the construction of a new hospice room two congregate rooms pharmacy expansion and new nurses stations

The secondfloor projects were completed in July 2009 Two months later the hospital embarked on a 1 million renovation of the first floor wing which once housed the business and administrative offices The new project completed in January 2010 again without borrowing or the issuance of bonds will be the new home for the hospitals specialty clinics cardiac rehabilitation outpatient infusion center and cardiovascular testing services