Mendota Community Hospital to build new facility

MENDOTA — Lynn Klein, Mendota Commun- ity Hospital administrator/CEO, announced that MCH will be purchasing land on the east edge of Mendota from the Truckenbrod family on which to build a replacement hospital facility.

The hospital board of directors and modernization team has determined an addition to the present hospital building was not practical, given the age of the existing facilities and the limited amount of property for both a building addition and required parking.

Mendota Community Hospital is a designated Critical Access Hospital (CAH). A CAH is a unique designation enacted by Congress to help rural facilities meet the healthcare challenges in the communities they serve. The CAH patient census may not exceed 25, thus, offering more personal attention to each patient.

Klein said MCH has engaged the services of a professional healthcare facility project manager and an architect familiar with the special needs of a critical access hospital. As with any project of this magnitude, funding is an essential part of the process.

MCH leadership states that CAH replacement hospital projects are seen favorably in today’s markets and that funding will be made possible through a combination of current assets, cash reserves, operational revenue, gifts from a comprehensive capital campaign and a financial loan or tax exempt bonds. Because MCH is an independent 501(c)(3) organization and does not receive tax support for hospital services, no tax dollars will be spent towards this project. The Mendota Community Hospital Foundation supports various hospital improvement projects and will be instrumental in launching a major capital campaign in support of the replacement hospital.

MCH is working with a professional team that has vast experience navigating the way for others who have embarked on the replacement hospital journey. MCH will identify key services to expand and likewise, the physicians and allied health professionals to engage in order to prepare for MCH’s future growth.