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Rawlins County Hospital began as an idea
that originated in the Atwood Rotary
Club through the untiring efforts of Dr.
C.E. Henneberger, M.D. The facility
opened in 1950 as Rawlins County
Hospital. The hospital was leased to and
operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph
until 1969 when Rawlins County Hospital,
Inc., a private, non-profit corporation
was formed for the purpose of leasing
and operating the hospital.
 In 1989 the status of the hospital was
changed to a public, county owned
operational hospital under the direction
of a nine member elected board, an act
which also placed the hospital in full
compliance with the County Hospital Act,
K.S.A 19-4601 - 19-4625.
In 1992,
the hospital board of directors entered
into a management agreement with Great
Plains Health Alliance; one of the
largest hospital management systems in
the nation, allowing access to many
professional consultants as well as
group purchasing benefits. In 1997, the
name of the hospital was changed to
Rawlins County Health Center to reflect
the partnership between the hospital,
the rural health clinics and the new
Prairie Plaza Retirement Community.
The Rawlins County Hospital
Foundation (established in 1988) is an
affiliate (since 2002) of the Area
Community Enrichment (ACE) Foundation; a
non-profit 501(c)3 organization located
in Atwood, Kansas formed to facilitate
donations and grant funds.
In
1998, the hospital was converted to
Critical Access Hospital status. The
hospital maintains a full service
Emergency Room with adjacent Radiology
and Laboratory departments and is open
24/7, 365 days per year. The health care
facility maintains two rural health
clinics; one based in the health care
facility in Atwood and one based in
McDonald, Ks. RCHC provides a specialty
clinic area within the hospital complex
offering local patients with the
services of out-reach specialists who
fly and drive into Atwood to serve their
patient base.
In 2010 RCHC began
the renovation and expansion of the 60
year old facility. Through a Kansas
Department of Commerce Tax Credit Award
and a Community Development Block Grant
Stimulus Award, new cardiac rehab and
physical therapy departments, new
patient parking areas and a new front
entrance and admissions area were
completed. RCHC also received a $7
million dollar USDA loan for the
construction of 10,170 sq. ft. patient
wing, ER, lab and x-ray plus the
renovation of 10,000 sq. ft. of existing
hospital space.
The Open House for
the newly constructed areas was held in
January 2012. Construction continues
within the facility as the rural health
clinic is moved into the former patient
wing. Future plans include the
renovation of the specialty clinic areas
and the development of a new procedure
room.
Rawlins County Health
Center has applied for several grants
for critical medical equipment during
the past few years. Several private
foundations have awarded these
applications and assisted with the
purchase of a new radiology system and a
new internal voice communication system
and more. RCHC is actively moving into
the field of electronic medical records
with nursing documentation, lab, dietary
and financial applications "live" at
this time. RCHC has received grants for
computers for department managers and
nursing staff making internal
communications much easier and HIPAA
compliant.
RCHC is
dedicated to providing professional
services to all patients through the
medical practices of (1) local
physician, (5) out-reach specialists,
(3) physician assistants, and more than
80 employees.
RCHC is one of
the top three largest employers in
Rawlins County.
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