The Texas County Memorial Hospital board of trustees last week approved a construction contract to begin a new surgery center that has been on the drawing board for years.
The day marked a significant landmark for the hospital, which has sought to greatly improve surgical services at the 66-bed institution. The project also is seen as a critical step in aiding in physician recruitment.
Dynamic Construction Systems, Springfield, is the general contractor for the project. The contract totals about $3.3 million. Work is expected to be completed by this fall if no supply chain issues are experienced.
Several funding pieces allowed the project to move forward:
October 2022 — Delta Regional Authority awards $332,000 to purchase and install surgery-related equipment. The hospital will match $175,000.
June 2022 — TCMH receives a direct $1 million appropriation for the surgery center from Missouri that was spearheaded by Sen. Karla Eslinger, R-Wasola.
May 2022 — USDA Rural Development awards $1 million to TCMH from its Emergency Rural Healthcare Grant Program.
A Community Development Block Grant totaling $1.69 million was received by Licking for the medical building project situated on what once was a car dealership.
In October, the board of trustees heard that about $5.3 million in funding is on the books for capital improvements — including the new Licking clinic on Highway 32. Of that amount, the hospital’s share is $292,171 or about 5.47 percent of the total capital improvement outlay.
Working on the funding pieces of the project were Jay Gentry of the TCMH Healthcare Foundation and Jeff Gettys, president of the foundation.
“This is a momentous occasion for TCMH as we embark on the next chapter of providing exceptional surgical services to our region. This project has been years in the making and represents a critical step in our mission to provide top-notch medical care while attracting talented physicians to the area,” said Stace Holland, CEO of TCMH. “I am grateful to all individuals and funding sources that have come together to make this project a reality and look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on the lives of our patients.”