Wyaconda Medical Services Showcases the Clinic’s Remodel
PHOTO BI-LINE: L-R Meagan Weber, SCH, CEO, Linden Antal, Jewley Kraus, Brandi White, Dr. Kelsey Davis-Humes, Cheyenne Neagle and Brent Peirick, SCH, COO.
Officials from Scotland County Hospital and Rural Health Clinics hosted an Open House at Wyaconda Medical Services earlier this week. Attendees of the Open House saw the interior and exterior improvements to the building, which include new flooring, paint, fixtures, furniture and much more. A new roof was installed on the building, thanks to the Clark County Commission. The Hospital applied for ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds through the Clark County Commission for this project and was awarded the funding needed. Scotland County Hospital officials requested bids for the new roof. The bid was awarded to Everest Exteriors in the amount of $11,500.
Wyaconda Medical Services opened on November 10, 1997, as a Rural Health Clinic of Scotland County Hospital. Dr. Kelsey Davis-Humes, a Clark County native, currently anchors the clinic as the medical director and she sees patients on Fridays. Brandi White, FNP, a nurse practitioner, sees patients on Mondays and Wednesdays.
An article dated November 19, 1997, in The Media newspaper stated this: Families in the Wyaconda area are now able to avail themselves of local, quality healthcare services. Thanks to the efforts of the Wyaconda City Council, concerned members of the community and the staff and administrators of the Scotland County Memorial Hospital in Memphis. The City of Wyaconda Mayor, at the time, Jim Shaeffer, was quoted to say, “We are very, very happy to see the clinic open. We’ve needed a stable commitment to healthcare and I believe this facility will be an asset to our community.”
Prior to Scotland County Hospital operating the clinic, the original Wyaconda Health Center, was operated by Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and opened in October 1980. According to the Wyaconda Centennial Book 1888-1988, “Wyaconda Community Betterment was the primary organization responsible for raising a great deal of the money for the clinic.” The building cost $118,000. Government grants for the project totaled about $75,000. Land for the building was donated by a former Wyaconda resident, Mrs. Katherine House of Anadarka, OK.
Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) are vital for providing essential healthcare services in underserved rural areas. They play a crucial role in ensuring that residents, who might otherwise face significant travel or lack of options, have access to primary care, basic lab services, and “first response” services to common life-threatening injuries and acute illnesses.