Providing health care in Ellsworth first began in 1900 when the hospital was known as the Ellsworth Hospital. At that time the hospital offered general medical and surgical care, and was an approved school of nursing, with the first class graduating around 1910.
The original site had a bed capacity of 40 beds and maintained approximately 50-60 patients at any given time. The school of nursing continued in existence and it would not be unusual to see the young ladies in their starched white caps, dresses and shoes walking between their residence and the hospital. The school continued until 1944 in which time it had to close its doors because of a lack of qualified instructors.
In 1954, an addition to the existing building was completed increasing the bed capacity to 52. In 1964, in conjunction with an extensive soliciting campaign led by the American Legion posts in Ellsworth County and a bequest from the John Obadal Estate, another addition was completed increasing the capacity to total of 72-beds. The final addition in 1972, added an emergency room, an administrator’s office and the business office. In 1993, Ellsworth County Veterans Memorial Hospital became Ellsworth County Hospital, owned by Ellsworth County and governed by the Ellsworth County Health Care Board. At that time, the employees of Ellsworth County Hospital were not sure they would be able to pay the bills from one week to the next but through their struggles, the organization thrived. November 5, 1996, a bond issue for 3.2 million dollars to erect a new hospital was passed by the voters of Ellsworth County and the new facility, Ellsworth County Medical Center, opened its doors February 1999. With its 20-bed capacity and state of the art digital radiology equipment and the purchase of a new helical scanner to CT services, it was the smallest hospital, worldwide, to have this level of technology on-site. In 2001-2002, the hospital merged with five 5 existing rural health clinics in the area. Ellsworth County Medical Center currently employs 3 physicians, 2 physician assistants, 1 nurse practitioner, and 144 support staff. The hospital is also the site for 7 other visiting specialties providing a variety of additional services to our patient base. Additionally, we support a medical student through a scholarship/loan plan that is made possible through a bequest from an Ellsworth County family.
The hospital is considered a part of the critical access hospital network that is supported by Salina Regional Health Center. The hospital has had several different names in its combined history but the words Ellsworth County were always a part of it. This hospital network has always had the support of the residents in Ellsworth County and surrounding counties.
