Labette Health aims to expand healthcare in the area

PARSONS, Kans. — A decision by Labette County leaders is offering some help for Labette Health. The $22 million project aims to expand healthcare in the region.

“We’re trying to look out 30 years and make sure that we are able to provide the quality of care that Southeast Kansans deserve,” said Brian A. Williams, Labette Health President & CEO.

Since 2020, the latest expansion at Labette Health has been under construction.

“Originally it was financed by $10 million in bonds, $12 million in cash from Labette Health,” Williams said. “The project was planned to be completed in April, this month actually of 2022, and due to COVID and supply chain issues, it’ll be closer to November or December later this year.”

This posed a problem — that is until community leaders stepped in.

“We went to to the County Commissioners and our bond holders NBH Bank, and we extended those bonds so that we could continue to draw those funds to finish the construction.”

Now, Labette Health will have access to its bond until March of next year to finish out the project which has already seen results with a 10,000 square-foot birthing center with labor, delivery, recovery, and post-partum rooms.

“The mother can deliver, recover from that delivery and then have her baby all in the same room,” added Williams.

And on Friday, the new vertical expansion will be on display. The additional floor has 17 new rooms focused on surgical and orthopaedic patients.

“It’ll be turned into a facility on the 22nd,” said Brock Sutherland, Labette Health Director of Facilities and Management. “The existing area was shared beds and shared bathrooms, things of that nature, so everything will be a private patient room now.”

The final phase will be the medical and surgical floor, which should be completed by November.

“We need to continue to grow to meet the needs of the patients that we serve and the community that we serve,” added Williams.

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