History of Clay County Hospital

 

May 1st, 1924

First Flora Hospital

Dr. George W. Campbell announces the opening of the FLORA HOSPITAL. The building was built in 1877 and was located on North Main and Tenth Street, Dr. Campbell, serving both as physician and surgeon, moved to Flora from Gary, Indiana. He selected Flora as he believed the city has a bright future. The Doctor occupied the upstairs suite of the P.A. Meyer building, most recently used as the living rooms by J.A. Mann and wife. The hospital included a surgery room, bath room, a private office and 2 hospital rooms.

Within the first week of operation, Dr. Campbell purchased an X-ray machine from St. Louis. X-ray pictures were taken for the first time in Flora, IL. He also performed an operation for appendicitis on Virgil Lucas, treated Mrs. L.M. Coburn of Cisne and delivered a baby boy to Mr. and Mrs. Orville Logan. 1500 people attended the grand opening.

 

May 1st, 1924

May 5th, 1931

Extensive Hospital Remodeling

With the Hospital being closed for several months, Dr. Campbell then moved his practice down town and disposed his entire interest in the Hospital to Dr. Harvey D. Fehrenbacher of Olney. Dr. Fehrenbacher had been with the Olney Sanitarium for 13 years before coming to Flora.

After extensive remodeling, the Flora Hospital was re-opened formally on June 21, 1931 with an 18 bed capacity and its own kitchen and laundry facilities. Mrs. Fehrenbacher helped with the management of the hospital. Some of the nurses who had worked with Dr. Fehrenbacher in Olney came to work at the Flora Hospital. Those included: Mrs. Elva Cusick, Mrs. Lucille Bay and Mrs. Norman Bryden. Dr. Howard Dillman joined the staff in 1937 after practicing in Louisville.

 

May 5th, 1931

1930s-1940s

Facility Closed Permanently

During World War II, Dr. Dillman was called into the service and hospital help became almost impossible to find. From that point on the hospital suffered difficult times, some considered its last year of actual operation to be 1936.

This facility closed permanently in August 1943. In June of 1979, this two story white house which housed the pre-world war II hospital facilities for Clay County was torn down.

 

1930s-1940s

1940s-1950s

Second Hospital

In 1947 the Public Health in Illinois received an appropriation of $6.7 Million to build and operate tuberculosis sanatoria. After a survey by the Department to determine areas of the state with hospital needs, communities identified were eligible for federal and state grants equal to two-thirds of hospital construction costs. The first to start construction was Clay County Hospital, with the ground breaking being held on Friday, June 11, 1948 in the area of East 7th and Mill Streets.

Before the hospital was completed in 1950, there was a serious money shortage in 1949. Flora, true to the tradition of her illustrious history, led a county wide campaign to raise the funds necessary to save the hospital. A huge crowd, estimated at 10,000 attended the dedication of the new Hospital on March 12, 1950.

 

1940s-1950s

1950s

Hospital Grand Opening

The ultra-modern facility was fire-proof and modern in every respect. It was built with two isolation rooms, 16 obstetrical beds, 24 medical and surgical rooms and two 4-bed wards. The patients were all on a single floor with the obstetrical patients segregated. The doors to the Hospital were scheduled to accept patients on March 20, 1950, however, the opening had to be moved up several hours. The “stork” arrived with a package, later named William George Seelman, to a hastily gathered staff headed by Dr. E.D. Foss.

 

1950s

1960s

First Hospital Administration

The first hospital administrator was Mary Vesta Sours, followed by Dr. T.L McCullough, and then Violet Medley. The staff of the hospital upon opening were Mary Vesta Sours, administrator; Myrtle Burgner, director of nursing service; Helen Spicer, Secretary; Edith Driscoll, admitting officer; Roxie Howard, bookkeeper; Ida Turnbull, medical librarian; Nancy Corzine, dietician; James Winter, laboratory and x-ray technician; Elman Beck, engineer; Erba Friend, night supervisor; Clarence Burten, issuing and receiving; Donna Harding, O.R. Supervisor; Catherine Hohlbauch, O.B. supervisor; Nellie Cribb, central supply; Roswell Beck, laundry manager; W.C. Stahl, M.D., director laboratory.

The hospital staff in the early 1960’s consisted of: Dr. Bunnell, Dr. Dillman, Dr. Naney, Dr. Foss, Dr. Hutchens, Dr. Phillips and Dr. Doherty. They were joined by a surgeon, Bill Kamp.

Worthy of mention:

Dr. Howard B. Dillman served for 40 years, both as a physician, presided over the birth of thousands of babies in the community and Chief of Staff for Clay County Hospital. Illness forced his retirement in April 1965.

 

1960s

1970s and 1980s

Hospital’s 20th Anniversary

A big celebration was held to celebrate the Hospital’s 20th Anniversary in 1970.
By 1980 all were gone except Dr. Bunnell, Dr. Naney, and Dr. Cycholl. On August 1, 1981 Dr. Galen Lueking and Dr. Mitch Kraynak began Clay County Hospital emergency room “on-call” duty.

 

1970s and 1980s

1990s

Third Hospital Construction

In 1992, planning began for building a replacement facility. Ground breaking for the new hospital was held on March 17, 1998, followed by a flurry of bond sales.

Construction began on the building in June of 1998.

 

1990s

2000s

Third Hospital Grand Opening

On October 22, 2000 an open house was held to show off the new 45,000 square foot facility to an estimated 1000 visitors. Clay County Hospital President, Tony Schwarm, stated that the standards for hospital care have changed. Schwarm said the community had looked at remodeling the current facility, but the cost would have matched the amount of building the new hospital. Schwarm added he felt fortunate the county board and community have stood behind the project. He said “It’s a huge investment”. It’s very exciting said CCH Chief Operating Officer Susan Batchelor, MSN. RN. “The hard part for me is the wait”.

The official opening was on February 21, 2000. The hospital, managed under the direction of BJC Health System, helped design the facility to be flexible and to meet the needs of healthcare today and, more importantly, in the future.

 

2000s

Present Day

Clay County Hospital and Medical Clinics

Clay County Hospital is committed to providing our community with the highest quality, patient-centered healthcare.  SSM Health has managed the hospital since 2013.  The facility is well-kept, with continued maintenance and updates.

The Clay County Hospital Clinics are located in Flora, Louisville, and a third opened at Clay City in November 2021. A major building addition and renovation of the Flora Clinic began in May of 2022 and was completed in July of 2023.  Following the opening of the newly renovated Flora Clinic, the construction of a clinic pharmacy began and will be completed in March 2024. The CCH clinics care for various patients: neonate, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric with an emphasis on health maintenance and prevention of illness through routine physical exams, including education on health issues and anticipatory guidance. 

These clinics allow our patients to receive more specialized care close to home. Our physicians are credentialed by CCH staff and provide consultations to inpatients along with a high level quality of care following procedures. We are also fortunate to have a variety of our visiting specialists perform surgical procedures at Clay County Hospital.

 

Present Day