Creating a community of legacy

In 2019, the current Melissa Memorial Hospital facility turned 11 years old, and now in February of this year, the Melissa Memorial Hospital Foundation celebrates 25 of service and 10 years of the annual Legacy Event. Why is this such a momentous occasion? Melissa Memorial Hospital is a rural critical access hospital. Rural communities rely on services provided by rural critical access hospitals, which provide health care to families and businesses in areas where there would not normally be access to medical care.   

According to www.hrsa.gov, “Between January 2010 and January 2019, 95 rural hospitals closed, 32 of which were critical access hospitals. This has led to increased attention by policymakers, advocates and the media.”

The cost of running a hospital is huge, especially one that is independent. Many rural hospitals are forced to merge with larger organizations to survive and decrease costs. Think about the impact on a community when a rural critical access hospital closes its doors. Access to health care is vitally important for the health and well-being of you and your families.

We are privileged to have such a facility where you can not only find emergency and family practice services, but you can also stay in your community and be admitted to the hospital. Additionally one can have full joint replacement surgery and even general surgery in their own backyard as well. Additional services that include imaging like MRI, a new state-of-the-art CT scanner, mammography, physical and occupational therapy, cardiac rehab and chemotherapy center are services that are also in your community and normally only found at hospitals by larger metropolitan cities.

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