Mercy Health Love County - News

Hospital Elects New Board Chair

Posted on Monday, October 28th, 2024

Richard Barker of Marietta is the new chairman of the Love County Health Center Board of Control. Members Steve Smith, Andrea Locke, and Lenna Radde elected him to the post at a Board meeting on October 24.

Barker was hospital administrator from 1990 until his retirement in 2021. He was appointed to the Board in 2023. The members then voted to send to the Love County Commissioners the name of Connie Graham of Leon to fill the Board vacancy created by the recent death of former chair Dr. Jack Testerman.

Hospital Administrator Scott Callender reported on numerous progress steps on the road to fully resuming hospital operations, which have been limited since an April 27 tornado.

The clinic building reopened in June, and the full complement of doctors and nurses treat patients weekdays. The Therapy Building reopened in July. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy take place Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Radiology ultrasound treatments occur there on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The next service to resume will be a temporary emergency room on a site staked out south of the clinic on Legacy Park Lane.  Bore holes were drilled last Friday in the first step toward construction, and the ER is expected to be up and running next spring.

The Growers Market building has a new roof and a plan for redesign to become the new home of Love County EMS Station 1.

The ambulance service has been operating temporarily from the former car dealership at the corner of Wanda St. and Memorial Dr. That building has been owned by the hospital for several years.

A new roof went up on that building within the last 30 days. After the EMS vacates, the front portion of the building will be converted into a training center for emergency services.

The former pantry building and the former EMS station on hospital grounds were demolished last month as a result of damage beyond repair from the tornado.

The Social Services building and the former Adult Day Center received new roofs within the past 30 days. The former Adult Day Center has been converted to hospital administrative offices. 

A new roof and other repairs are underway at the hospital maintenance building west of the Growers Market.

That leaves the main hospital building for consideration of how it will be repaired or replaced. Callender has been working closely with FEMA in a scoping project to maximize FEMA dollars.

New Mission for Growers Market: On October 7, 2024, the former Growers Market building on hospital grounds at 466 Legacy Park Lane had a new roof. Inside, the space is being reconfigured
as the new home of EMS Station 1.