Hospital project kicks off in Ozark

$5M expansion to be done in ’19

OZARK -- At a time when rural hospitals across the nation are struggling to keep their doors open, officials broke ground Thursday morning on a $5.13 million expansion of Mercy Hospital Ozark.

"It gives me great peace of mind to know that our hospital is here to take care of us and our families 24 hours a day and an expert medical staff," Mayor T.R. McNutt told about 60 people attending the groundbreaking on the hospital's front lawn.

The original section of the 1952 hospital, the east half of the building, is too old to be renovated again. It will be torn down, and 14,759 square feet of space will be built back to offer services to Ozark residents and those in the surrounding area. The work is expected to be completed in November 2019.

Mercy Fort Smith President Ryan Gehrig said 83 critical access hospitals such as Mercy Hospital Ozark have closed nationwide since 2010.

The federal Health Resources and Services Administration reported in October that more rural hospitals were closing than urban hospitals and that the pattern of financial distress suggests more are likely to fail.

The agency reported that the states most in danger of losing rural hospitals are in the South, and Arkansas is among them.

"So, for us to be here today celebrating a groundbreaking in terms of renovating, expansion and really positioning ourselves in this community for the next 25 to 50 years is very uncommon," Gehrig said.

Franklin County will contribute $1.47 million for the project. County Judge Rickey Bowman said the funding comes from a 1 percent sales tax for health care. The county pays $350,000 to the hospital each year from the tax, and other tax money goes to help cover county Health Department operating expenses, he said.

As a critical access hospital, compared with acute care hospitals located in larger population areas, Mercy Hospital Ozark is limited to 25 beds, in the length of in-patient hospital stays and in the number of services it can offer.

The added space will allow the hospital to enlarge the physical therapy department and have a "swing clinic," which will allow patients to stay in the hospital longer in order to get therapy. Space will be added for other providers to come in and offer services to the community, said Teresa Williams, Mercy Hospital Ozark regional administrator.

The county's health department moved out of the hospital to allow for expansion. Bowman said the county obtained a $650,000 state grant and is building a new health department clinic. The project was about 45 days from completion when a fire broke out Wednesday night, damaging the attic and causing smoke damage throughout the one-story building.

Ozark Fire Chief Nick Trotter said Thursday that the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Bowman said the building will be finished, but the completion time will be extended by about six months.

State Desk on 09/28/2018

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