WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) – The board of directors of the Olney Hamilton Hospital approved a $33 million bond for a new facility. Now, it’s up to the voters if the bond passes or not.
“This will not be on the backs of the local homeowners and local taxpayers,” said Michael Huff, CEO of Olney Hamilton Hospital District.
The money for the new hospital will come from two businesses, The Young Wind Farm and the Plug Power Hydrogen Plant.
“The revenue from those two projects will support the debt service on a bond issue that will allow us to build a new facility and so that’s where the bond issue arises,” said Huff.
The Olney Hamilton Hospital is the oldest operating rural hospital in Texas. The board of directors wants the hospital to be around for generations to come.
“We had to make do with what facilities we had for pain management and for wound care, for some of the other new services we’ve been able to offer, and with the new hospital we’ll be able to deliver those in a more technical and efficient manner,” said Dale Lovett, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Olney Hamilton Hospital.
Huff said they call this a generational opportunity.
“In today’s time how prices are rising, materials are costing more each year, the board decided if we had a shot at doing this, this was the time to do it,” said Huff.
The hospital holds a special place for much of the community.
“They feel like they’re a part of this, not the brick and mortar but their souls here because their lives have been built around this and we want the new generation to say that’s my hospital, that’s where I’m from and that’s home to me,” said Lovett.
They plan on building the new hospital across the street from the current building.
“You can service more patients and you can recruit more physicians and more providers so our community doesn’t have to drive to other towns and cities to get services we can do it right here,” said Huff.
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