citizensmemorial.com 5 CMH NEWS Watch the event highlight video You will also see architectural renderings of the hospital expansion. Go to cmhbolivar.info/3EU2o5r. Missouri Governor Michael Parson delivered special greetings during the ceremony. He recounted how far away medical care was for him as a child in Hickory County, north of Bolivar. CMH made medical care more accessible, though he never thought he would go to the hospital as a patient. Yet, six years ago, he was at CMH when he found out he would have open heart surgery with five bypasses. “I really credit this facility for saving my life,” he said. “It’s our job to make sure that our kids and our grandkids have the same services, the same opportunities for health care that we’ve all had to enjoy right here at CMH.” The total cost of the 117,000-squarefoot, three-story expansion is $100 million, including $84 million in construction costs. USDA Rural Development has invested $64 million in this project through 35-year low-interest loans. USDA Rural Development’s partnership with Citizens Memorial Hospital goes back to 1980. Kyle Wilkens, state director for Rural Development – Missouri with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, talked about CMH’s impact on rural communities. “It’s our greatest privilege at USDA Rural Development here in Missouri to support Citizens Memorial Hospital’s incredible transformation,” Wilkens said. “I believe that CMH will be the site of many more miracles of healing and play a vital role in helping sustain its surrounding rural communities.” Michael Calhoun, CMH and CMH Foundation CEO/Executive Director, recognized founding CEO Donald J. Babb with the naming of the facility as the Donald J. Babb Medical Center. “CMH has grown from a small rural hospital to a regional comprehensive health care organization. A significant reason for this is the tremendous vision of our founding CEO, Mr. Donald J. Babb,” Calhoun said. “Mr. Babb also had a vision for this hospital expansion project, and many of the ideas that went into this project originally came from planning work that he started as CEO.” “As CMH moves into the future, we have a continued vision to provide exceptional care for the communities we serve. We aspire to be the safest place for health care, to provide the highest quality care and to provide the very best patient experience.” —Michael Calhoun, CMH and CMH Foundation CEO/Executive Director Shannon Calvert, M.D., represented the medical staff as president of the CMH Medical Staff. “We envision a health care facility that will not only meet the immediate needs of our patients but will also serve as a beacon of hope for generations to come,” said Calvert. “It will be a place where medical breakthroughs happen, where patients find comfort and where families find hope.”
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