2024 Health Care Champions Health Care Organization – Large: Citizens Memorial Hospital/Health Care Foundation

Citizens Memorial Hospital/Health Care Foundation was founded with Missouri’s rural communities in mind. Serving that population is still core to its mission as a fully integrated health care system providing treatment services across the lifespan. CMH covers an eight-county area, serving more than 73,000 patients annually with its 2,258 staff members. The Foundation had a total of 295,369 patient days in fiscal year 2023.

“CMH plays a vital role in the health care ecosystem of the Ozarks,” says CEO and Executive Director Michael Calhoun. “Without CMH, many residents in our eight-county service area would have to drive an hour or more to receive emergency care, as well as for wellness visits, lab work, rehabilitative therapy and more.”

CMH provides specialized services including long-term care, pharmacies and walk-in clinics that account for 25% of all primary care visits in rural health clinics and addiction recovery care. The system expanded health care access for rural populations in July 2023 with its Mobile Integrated Healthcare program, a $1.6 million grant-funded project. The program provides in-home visits by community paramedics backed by an integrated wellness team that meets needs including medical care, transportation, nutrition and social services. In its first nine months, the program cared for 75 patients.

“Many people face barriers to achieving the best possible health outcomes,” says Calhoun. “In addition to CMH’s extensive network of rural health clinics with primary care and walk-in services, CMH uses innovative approaches to deliver wellness care for better health.”

The hospital system seeks to improve care through identifying barriers to access and creating innovative solutions. Those include the CMH Health & Wellness Clinic, which opened in March, and the Behavioral Health Transitional Clinic, which opened in February 2023 and served more than 1,000 patients last year. CMH partners with local school districts and colleges to provide services including mental health counseling, annual health screenings and telehealth appointments. It began providing medical services at Southwest Baptist University’s health clinic in the 2023-24 school year.

Beginning this year, CMH is one of six Missouri hospitals to pilot MO HealthNet’s Transformation of Rural Community Health program, which provides social services to Medicaid recipients in rural areas and links community partners to expand services.

In September 2023, CMH broke ground at its Bolivar campus on a 117,000-square-foot, $100 million hospital expansion that will double the hospital’s size. Also in 2023, CMH received a $500,000 federal opioid grant to address neonatal abstinence syndrome.

“CMH continues operating to fulfill its mission: Providing compassionate care for all generations by leading physicians and an exceptional health care team,” says Calhoun.

Each year, CMH gives more than $480,000 in cash and in-kind donations. Its charitable outreach includes free health offerings for older adults and community wellness programs, the annual Heroes for Hospice race and the Show Me Strong Kids prevention program.

“CMH is committed to community engagement in wellness, disease prevention, sponsorships and charity,” says Calhoun. “How we care for our communities matters.”