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USDA Announces $29.5 Million Loan Package to Expand and Renovate Gothenburg's Hospital and Wellness Center

Name
Vicki Schurman
City
Gothenburg
Release Date

USDA Rural Development Nebraska State Director Maxine Moul announced a $26.5 million Rural Development direct loan to the Gothenburg Memorial Hospital.  The loan is being leveraged with a $3,000,000 loan through a partnership with two local banks; Gothenburg State Bank and First State Bank with the loan being backed by the USDA.  The funds are to expand and renovate Gothenburg Memorial Hospital in Dawson County, Nebraska.

“Rural areas are in great need of health care and education which have a tremendous impact on regional economies in areas like Central Nebraska,” said Moul.

The USDA funding came from the Community Facilities Direct and Guaranteed Loan Program.

“This is an exciting time for our hospital and community,” said CEO Mick Brant, Gothenburg Memorial Hospital. “This expansion project is a testimony to the outstanding growth our new physicians and administration have brought over the last eighteen months. We are intent on being proactive about providing our community with a center for health and wellness here in Gothenburg.”

“The hospital board should be commended for the forward looking approach they have embraced,” said First Vice President Mike Hilderbrand, Gothenburg State Bank. “We are confident and pleased to be part of the expansion in surgery as well as in overall wellness.  Our partnership between the two banks only solidifies the community commitment to this wonderful project.”

“The new hospital is a wonderful achievement for Gothenburg and will meet the health needs for years to come. First State Bank is humbled to have played a role in assisting Gothenburg Memorial Hospital with this accomplishment,” said President Randecker, President of First State Bank.

Funds will be used for a major expansion and renovation to the current facility.  The hospital size will increase from 63,000 square feet to 97,000 square feet with almost 40 percent of the existing square footage to be demolished.

While not a complete list, planned improvements include:  a prominent main entry on the south side of the building, new patient wing and central nurses station, IV therapy, inpatient pharmacy, chemotherapy care, wellness center and a new dietary center.  Expansion of the imaging department will include new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment.  Through expansion of the surgery center which construction began on this fall, two additional operating rooms and center processing department for clean supplies to flow directly into operating rooms will be developed.  Renovation of the existing surgery center will include support and staff spaces.  The existing operating room will be renovated into an endoscopy room serving as an overflow for C-section surgery, space for materials management, housekeeping, and laundry.  The existing patient and administrative wing will be demolished and in its place one addition will be constructed to include clinic expansion, admitting support spaces, the lab and a combined wellness, physical therapy, and cardiac rehab department.  New parking lots will be developed along with a healing garden in the central part of the hospital campus.

One hundred and forty medical and administrative staff work on the campus of the Gothenburg Memorial Hospital, which prides itself on being a self-sustaining healthcare system.  It has more than doubled its surgeries and number of births over the last year.  The goal is to incorporate strategic growth by recruiting leading physicians and helping community members embrace a healthy lifestyle through preventative care and wellness programs.

The Gothenburg Memorial Hospital is a 12-bed Critical Access Hospital serving Gothenburg and surrounding communities.  Medical staff include a full-time Orthopedic Surgeon, General Surgeon, Obstetrics/Gynecology and Family Practice Doctors as well as many visiting specialty physicians.

For more information, contact the Rural Development office nearest you.You can locate an office by visiting: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/NE-Contact.html.Visit www.rurdev.usda.gov/ne for information on all of Rural Development’s programs.

For additional information on RD projects, please visit Rural Development’s new interactive web map featuring program funding and success stories for fiscal years 2009-2013. The data can be found at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/RDSuccessStories.html.

President Obama’s plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President’s leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA’s investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values.