Coffey County Hospital was founded in June 1954 as a church-sponsored hospital with 22 beds, an emergency room, two operating rooms, a laboratory, and a radiology department. The hospital was purchased by Coffey County in 1967.

Tremendous growth and expansion into other realms of healthcare led to an identity change in 1993.  Today, Coffey County Hospital is one component of Coffey Health System, a multi-faceted organization serving both Coffey and Woodson Counties.  While still overseen by a county-appointed board of trustees, county tax funding now represents a mere 4 percent of the annual operating budget.  Coffey Health System is now the county’s second largest employer with roughly 300 employees.  

 Through the Years

1954 – Coffey County Hospital opens its doors as a church-sponsored hospital.  That original facility is still in use today, though it has been largely swallow-up by numerous additions through out the years.

1967 – Coffey County purchases the hospital and appoints a board of trustees to oversee operations.

1985 – Waverly and LeRoy Medical Clinics expand the scope of physician services into smaller communities throughout Coffey County.

1991 – An addition to the south end of the hospital allows expanded physical and occupational therapy services, as well as a clinic space (now used for administrative offices), a new cafeteria, and a three-room conference center.

1992 – Coffey County Hospital Home Health Agency brings professional nursing care, physical therapy, and housekeeping services into patients’ homes.  The agency is now located in the former clinic building across from the hospital.

1993 – The Meadows in Burlington offers an alternative to nursing home care by catering to those who are no longer able keep up housework, or are simply ready to enjoy retirement without household maintenance. Residents maintain their independence, while receiving minimal assistance and enjoying home-cooked, restaurant-style meals each day.

1993 – Tremendous growth leads the Coffey County Hospital Board of Trustees to adopt a new name and organizational structure:  Coffey Health System.

1994 – A major expansion to the existing hospital came with the passing of a bond from local community support. This expansion almost doubles the square-footage, adding a new emergency department, ambulance bay, EMS living quarters, and remodeling the radiology and laboratory departments.  The addition also creates a new physician clinic with individual suites for five physicians with an additional suite for the outpatient clinic.

1997 – Coffey Health System acquired the Sunset Manor nursing home in Waverly, bringing hospital-based long-term care to our community.

2001 – Coffey County residents approved another addition to the hospital, nearly doubling patient capacity.  A new patient wing brought an additional twenty beds. Two Labor, Delivery, Recovery, Postpartum (LDRP) rooms, a new kitchen, dining and meeting area, and a new outpatient clinic area were also added.

2003 – Yates Center Medical Clinic becomes an integral part of Coffey Health System.  Established by Dr. John Atkin in 1963, the clinic has served generations of Woodson County families.

2004 – Coffey County Hospital celebrates its golden anniversary.