2025 Economic Impact Awards 36-74 Years in Business Top Honors: Citizens Memorial Hospital

Several capital projects are nearing a conclusion for Citizens Memorial Hospital, as the Bolivar-based health care system continues to invest in expanding services for the nearly 500,000 patients it serves annually.

Chief among its investments is a $100 million construction project which is adding a three-story, 117,000-square-foot expansion on the south side of campus, designed to double the hospital’s size.

An expanded emergency department, private medical and surgical patient rooms, and a large intensive care unit and birthing area are among plans for the space. The portion to be remodeled comprises around 25,000 square feet.

“We’re still on track,” says CEO and executive director Michael Calhoun of plans for the expansion to finish by early 2026 and remodeling existing space set to wrap later next year. “We don’t have a move-in date, but it will be in January or early February. Definitely by the end of the year, probably by the fall of 2026, we’ll be completed with the entire project.”

Concurrently, CMH is constructing a $7.3 million dialysis and nephrology center, under construction just west of its campus. The 9,353-square-foot project includes patient care areas, labs and office space.

“That’s a new service line for us. We just added nephrology services and now we’ll have dialysis services and a 16-chair dialysis center for outpatients,” he says. “It’ll be finished, and we’ll be moved in by year’s end.”

The CMH Nephrology Clinic, opened in September 2024 at the Douglas Medical Center, will move into the building upon its completion. Calhoun says the dialysis center fulfills a goal CMH has to keep patients closer to home.

“Dialysis is one of the top reasons why people leave Bolivar for care,” he says, noting CMH data reflected that a lot of patients haven’t had adequate access in the Bolivar area for nephrology and dialysis services. “So, we’ve met the needs of the community.”

Officials note CMH contributed $187 million annually to the local economy through employee payroll and benefits alone. That included $4 million invested last year toward increased wages for more than 70% of its workforce. The health system reached a new milestone this year, surpassing 2,500 employees for the first time. While the majority work at the hospital, over 800 are employed at the Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation.

Community outreach also is a commitment for CMH, officials say, as the health system gives back annually through community events, health fairs and more than $480,000 in cash and in-kind donations.