In August of 1950, an open house was held at the new Kearny County Hospital located at 305 Kansas Street in Lakin, but it would be several months before the doors were opened to patients. About 1947, local Jaycee President B.C. Nash began talking up the idea of building a community hospital. He had plans, estimates and letters suggesting ways of financing the project. According to Monte Canfield, publisher of the Lakin Independent, Nash kept pestering everyone in town with his idea until they finally took notice. “He kept at it and finally got The Independent to launch a publicity drive which eventually culminated in a mass meeting to talk over the possibility of a Kearny county hospital.”
That meeting was held in February of 1948, and a large group of interested citizens took the ball from Nash and ran with it. They circulated petitions among registered voters, and the question of whether to issue $100,000 in bonds was placed on the ballot in November of 1948. The issue carried by a vote of more than four to one.
Soon after the bonds were voted, the county commissioners appointed a board of hospital trustees as provided by law to go ahead with plans to build a hospital. The board consisted of E.L. White, Madison Downing, Glenn Steward, J.R. Hutton and Canfield. When estimates were made, it was discovered the bond funds were insufficient, but county commissioners agreed to proceed and figure out how to come up with the necessary additional funds. These were raised in 1949, and construction began that October.
When the facility was finished in the summer of 1950, the hospital board was anxious to have as many people as possible see the inside of the new building. At the time, equipment was being ordered and hospital groups were being contacted with the hope that by the time the hospital began operations, a professional hospital organization would be secured to manage the facility. As funds were still needed to finance the furnishing of the rooms, donations were sought. More than $7,500 was received from individuals, business firms and organizations, and a small tax levy was made available which helped make it possible to finally get enough money together to equip the hospital as it should be. The facility featured the most modern equipment for caring for the ill. The technical equipment was the best that money could buy and plentiful while the patient rooms were cheerful. A contract was entered into with the Lutheran Hospital Association of Kearny County to operate the facility. The association was composed of members of the Immanuel Lutheran Church at Deerfield which elected a five-man hospital board. They worked without pay and often without recognition for the time and talent they contributed to the hospital.
An open house on January 11, 1952, gave everyone a chance to inspect the fully equipped facility before it began receiving patents the following week. According to Canfield, the fine institution was not just the work of a few but “rather the accomplishment of many. It took not only the members of the board, whose responsibility became the supervision of the actual building, but also the thousands of citizens of the county who voted to finance and build this hospital. Without their unqualified support there never would have been a Kearny County hospital.” Canfield called the feat “a dream of many years come true.”
The Lakin Chamber of Commerce and business firms announced that gifts totaling several hundred dollars would go to the first babies born in the new hospital and their parents. The first baby born there was Gary Neil Moreland of Deerfield, on February 5, 1952.
Nash was paid the recognition due him by being asked by the board of trustees to preside at the dedication program held January 20, 1952, in the Lakin Grade School auditorium. Nash gave a short history entitled, “Building A Hospital.” The impressive dedication ceremony included a concert by the Lakin High School and Lakin Grade School bands, musical numbers by the Lakin Quartette, and the recognition of members of the Lutheran Hospital Association board, hospital administrative staff, members of the hospital board of trustees and distinguished guests.
In April 1956, the hospital board received the first half of a Ford Foundation Grant of $10,000. That November, a bond issue of $115,000 to expand the facilities was overwhelmingly approved by voters. The Ford Foundation Grant Fund was used for equipment, and the approval of the bond issue meant that a much-needed addition and upgrades were made to the hospital including more bathrooms, patient rooms, a new nurses’ station, larger waiting room and kitchen, and much more.
In April of 1975, the Lutheran Hospital Association ended their 23-year lease and transferred the control and operation of the hospital to a county board of trustees. All assets owned by the association were given to the county. President of the Lutheran group, Otis Molz, pointed out that his association had felt for some time that the move should be made, and the proper time had come since Lakin had fine doctors and medical staff using the facilities and the occupancy rate was at a peak. Representing the new county board were Carl Bentrup, chairman; Ann Tate, Bob Glunt and Elmer Branine. Ted Morgan was the hospital board attorney, and Jerry Horton was named as new administrator. In January of that year, doctors J.R. Zimmerman and Jon S. Wheat had expressed interest in construction of new hospital facilities. The Kansas Street building was used as a hospital until 1978 when a new Kearny County Hospital was opened in the White addition.
SOURCES: Archives of the Lakin Independent, History of Kearny County Vols. I and II, and Museum archives.