Kimball hospital nearing completion

KIMBALL -- As of Friday, December 29, the Kimball community was using the current hospital, even as work is taking place a few blocks away on the new facility.

Kimball Health Services CEO Ken Hunter said the new hospital is needed because the current hospital does not always meet requirements or needs

"As of today, we're still in the old hospital, which opened in 1950. And we've been open 24 hours a day/seven days a week since 1950, which, I think, is a feather in our cap. The hospital still looks nice, but the electrical and height of the ceilings, and just lots and lots of things don't meet code," said Hunter.

He said the current hospital is about 20,000 sq. ft., and the new facility will be closer to 60,000 sq. ft., including several new services that will be offered.

Kerry Ferguson, Director of Community Relations at Kimball Health Services and Kimball Hospital Foundation, said the new hospital will include larger patient rooms and hallways. 

"We are adding mammography services. Our CT scanner and MRI will be in-house now. We're currently using trailers for that," Ferguson said. 

Hunter added the new hospital will also offer infusion therapy.

"We're not going to do all of it, but we'll contract with an oncology doctor to run it. Once he feels that we're giving the right kind of chemo and their reaction to it, he's refer them where they don't have to drive, which is a big thing," he said.

Kimball Health Services is owned by a political subdivision. The $43 million project is funded by a combination of a USDA loan, $6 million in revenue bonds through the county, contributions by the hospital itself and the hospital's capitol campaign managed by the hospital's foundation. 

The anticipated opening date is February 12.