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Donald Babb, CEO
Donald Babb, CEO

2015 Economic Impact Awards 30+ Years in Operation Winner: Citizens Memorial Healthcare

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Citizens Memorial Healthcare continually strives to exemplify the “care” portion of its name. This was proven in October 2014, when Bolivar-based CMH stepped in to provide health care for Osceola’s residents upon the close of Sac-Osage Hospital.

“Our focus is to do as much as we can to allow those patients to have their health care close to home,” says CEO Donald Babb, who has led the organization since its inception nearly 35 years ago.

Since CMH came to Osceola, approximately $1.3 million has been invested to maintain a medical center, walk-in clinic, pharmacy, rehabilitation clinic and the town’s ambulance service – and more initiatives are in the works.

“We’re really assessing needs,” Babb says. “We’re looking at how we can match the needs that they have with the medical services that we provide.”

Along with care, growth also describes CMH. The health care organization is in the process of constructing a $3.7 million building that will house OB/GYN and pediatric clinics in Bolivar and offer services and programs for women, children and adolescents. Then there’s the 80,000-square-foot expansion of the Kerry and Synda Douglas Medical Center, which houses centers for outpatient surgery, hyperbaric treatment and wound care, among other services. The project will increase CMH’s facility square footage by more than 121,000 square feet and grow revenue by 10 percent in fiscal 2016.  

With the growth, Babb says it’s a challenge to find caregivers to keep pace with expansion. That’s why CMH partners with Bolivar Technical College to graduate registered nurses biannually and licensed practical nurses every year through its programs.

“With the growth we have, and the need for professional people in health care, you almost have to grow your own,” says Babb, who notes CMH also offers scholarships – ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 annually – to help fund local students’ educations.

In exchange for the financial support, students are expected to work for CMH for terms upon graduation.  

“Once that’s completed, their debt’s paid in full and they still get a competitive salary while they’re working,” Babb says.

Community Health Fairs, CMH’s longest-running service program dating back to 1983, is another example of the hospital’s local outreach. Nearly 3,500 people participate in the fairs annually, which offer low or no-cost health screenings. Some services include hearing tests, labs, respiratory procedures, blood pressure checks and eye exams.

“Basically the screenings that people need but they often cannot afford,” Babb says.

Monthly Healthy Balance cooking classes, which are free to the public, are another initiative introduced in 2014.  

CMH has 1,854 employees and 2014 revenue of $370.5 million, but in a day and age when much focus is placed on numbers, Babb says patients remain the primary concern at CMH.

“I think the bottom line kind of falls where you want it to when you’re providing the community with the quality services they require,” he says. “That’s always a focus that we have had, and it’s always worked. I don’t anticipate changing that.

“If the patients are satisfied, they will return to CMH for any future health care needs.”

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