IHA staff will be in Chariton today to celebrate the staff at Lucas County Health Center (LCHC).  As is the case in much of Iowa, LCHC is the county’s only hospital.  It is also one of the county’s largest employers.  Hy-Vee’s main distribution hub, one of the largest companies in south-central Iowa, is the only employer that is bigger.

LCHC has 185 employees and a payroll exceeding $7.1 million.  But the impact is more than the hospital’s employees and their salaries.  The hospital also creates local jobs and businesses to the tune $9.4 million, not to mention the LCHC employees purchasing more than $1.5 million in retail goods in the county each year.

The jobs offered at the hospital are the kind that attract and keep young people in the area.  They are the kind of jobs people can build a family, home and life on.  There are several LCHC employees who have been with the hospital 25, 30 and even 40 years.

The hospital itself is also in for the long-term.  The community began pursuing a fully equipped hospital in the mid 1950s.  A public vote allowed $200,000 in bonds to be sold and an additional $180,000 was secured in federal Hill-Burton funds, which helped many Iowa communities establish their first modern hospitals.  The community further voiced its support by donating $170,000 to the effort.  Construction commenced in the fall of 1959 and the hospital opened its doors on May 1, 1961.

As LCHC approaches enters its 50^th year of service, it has become much more than a hospital.  For example, Lucas County Health Center Foundation purchased in 2001 the former corporate headquarters of Hy-Vee, Inc.  The purchase was made possible through a donation from the Vredenburg Foundation, with support from Hy-Vee, Inc.  The building encompasses 55,000-square feet on two stories.  A large portion of the second story was remodeled to house LCHC’s Kids’ Life Discovery Center and Discovery Preschool.  Other parts of the building are leased to various tenants.  In December, 2008 ownership of the Vredenburg Center transferred to the Lucas County Health Center.  By 2009, Kids’ Life Discovery Center had created a Nature Explore Classroom for playground use.

This is one example of how hospital leadership and resources identified a community need and addressed.  It is something that LCHC does every day, as do Iowa’s other 117 hospitals.