Missouri Rehabilitation Center

History

MRC History
A Century of Progress

Phase I Missouri State Sanatorium 19071971

Missouri Rehabilitation Center was originally established as the Missouri State Sanatorium in 1907 to treat tuberculosis Tuberculosis TB also known as the quotWhite Plaguequot was a major health problem

A diagnosis of tuberculosis often meant impending death and the only known treatment for it was fresh air sunshine nutrition and bed rest To keep the disease from spreading patients were isolated from society Thus the Missouri Legislature appropriated 50000 to establish a sanatorium

A board of five people was appointed to build a brick or stone facility capable of future enlargement at a site at least 1000 feet above sea level Chigger Hill in Mt Vernon met all the requirements The site had available water an abundance of shade trees and was adaptable to support agricultural and dairy needs To secure its selection the city offered the state approximately 60 acres of land a cash donation of 3000 The city agreed to furnish water electricity and telephone service for the first five years

The first building Gupton Villa was erected at a cost of 20000 The first patient was admitted Aug 17 1907

The plan called for a total of 12 buildings to be grouped in the form of a Maltese cross eight of the buildings were to house patients with the remaining ones to be used for administration and support services

Diagnosis of tuberculosis took six to eight weeks and because there were no medications to treat the disease patients confined to the sanatorium spent months or years away from home Reinfection was common and often necessitated a return to the hospital

Drugs were developed in the 1950s that effectively controlled tuberculosis Patients were able to go home sooner and were usually able to be treated in their local communities

Since that time drug therapy and diagnostic techniques have become even more efficient Diagnosis has been shortened from six weeks to as little as a few days

This meant the census of the hospital began to decline Fewer people had to come to Mt Vernon for treatment and those who did went home sooner The old system of housing patients in eight different locations changed By 1970 the sixstory Hearnes building had been erected to bring all patients under one roof All but one of the original patient buildings was subsequently demolished

Phase II Missouri State Chest Hospital 19711985

Coinciding with the decline in tuberculosis came an increase in other lung diseases brought on by a larger population and a greater acceptance of and increase in smoking The Missouri Sanatorium with its emphasis on care of lung patients was the logical place for establishing a facility for the treatment of chest diseases

In 1971 the Missouri General Assembly expanded the mission of the institution to include all types of cardiac and pulmonary problems including emphysema bronchitis bronchiectasis COPD and others The name was changed to Missouri State Chest Hospital

Again modern medicine shortened the length of stay needed to care for these diseases

Readmissions were reduced through the implementation of a respiratory rehabilitation program which taught patients to care for themselves at home Patients learned to recognize problems before they developed into a crisis

The hospital was able to send patients home who would have been destined to remain in the hospital for the rest of their lives because of ventilator dependence A significant number of patients were weaned from the ventilator even though they had been deemed unweanable by other institutions many had been on ventilators for a long time

In cases where weaning was not practical families were trained in the care of their loved ones in order to go home for short periods of time or be discharged altogether

These factors and new regulations put into effect by medicare Medicaid and private insurances brought about a decline in census similar to the decline experienced by other hospitals throughout the nation In order to make use of its space the hospital opened an outpatient clinic and an inpatient hospice program

With the continued decline in census it was apparent the hospital was ready for a new direction

Phase III Missouri Rehabilitation Center 19711985

The Missouri General Assembly again changed the facilitys name and mission This time it would answer the needs of those who were seriously impaired through accident or injury and who had capacity for improvement through extensive rehabilitation

General physical rehabilitation was begun in late 1985 and the center opened its traumatic brain injury TBI program in January 1986 The program has grown to be the largest in the state

Several components were added including a transitional living unit a behavior modification unit and a program for comprehensive substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation program CSTAR

An outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program was opened in 1989 In 1990 the center rented space to the Veterans Administration for an outpatient clinic to be operated as a satellite of the VA Hospital in Fayetteville Arkansas The clinic contracts with the Missouri Rehabilitation Center to provide services which included laboratory radiology maintenance and housekeeping

Phase IV University of Missouri Health Care 1996Present

In 1996 the Missouri General Assembly transferred ownership of Missouri Rehabilitation Center to the University of Missouri Health Care The merger with the University of Missouri Health Care was necessitated by a competitive HMOdominated health care market

Missouri Rehabilitation Center has benefited significantly from their affiliation with the University of Missouri MRC is now a center of excellence offering the finest health care available

Through the use of technology telemedicine research and education the citizens of missouri are the direct beneficiaries of this growth Physicians now have the ability to provide live medical consultations via interactive television without transferring the patient from the hospital