Kimball Health Services

Latest news & upcoming events

New Hospital Construction Project

Information you need to know click HERE
Please join us to learn more about our upcoming hospital project and to answer any questions you may have!
 

Plans for New Hospital Beginning to Take Shape

Activity is beginning on an ambitious project to build a new $32 million hospital in Kimball. Two temporary office trailers arrived at the hospital last week, designed to house several departments now located at the KHS North Campus, formerly West Elementary. Partial demolition of mainly the south end of the old school begins in early November.

“Our goal is to get the asbestos abatement in the floor tiles and ceiling going as quickly as possible,” Troy Kurz, construction manager and facilities director, told the KHS Board of Trustees.

Construction of the new 40,358 square foot hospital on the former school playground and a nearly 20,000 square foot renovation of the former school is scheduled to begin in March and be completed in the summer of 2023. The new facility will nearly triple the size of the current hospital.

Architects and engineers with CMBA Architects of Grand Island and Haselden Construction in Centennial, Colo. will join KHS staff for a public open house to allow residents a look at full-size mock-ups of several hospital rooms now located in the school gym, and answer any questions. Nicole Snyder, KHS staff project coordinator, said the cardboard mock-ups gave doctors, nurses and others a life-size feel of the designs and a chance to give input on layout for the new emergency rooms, clinic exam rooms, operating rooms and others.

The public is invited to the open house on Wednesday, Oct 20 from 4:30 to 7 pm.

Snyder, who also seeks grant funding for the hospital, told the board she’s optimistic about landing a USDA Emergency Rural Healthcare Grant to improve the hospital’s COVID-19 and other infection response capabilities. The grant of up to $1 million would help modernize air handling systems in the new facility, create new isolation rooms and increase physical distancing in patient waiting areas to better separate infectious and non-infectious patients.

“These (infection control) improvements are already in the project budget,” Cassie Gasseling, chief financial officer, told the board. “They’re not additional features. We were planning to add them regardless but hope the new grant will help fund them.”

A 40-year, $23.4 million USDA direct loan along with $6.4 million in bonds, several grants and a fundraising capital campaign will combine to complete the financial package. While the USDA loan approved in January will fund most of the project, those funds won’t be available until after the project is 90 percent completed.

Jim Cederburg, chairman of the KHS Board of Trustees, said the hospital is working with local and area banks planning to offer $26 million in bond anticipation notes, which will finance construction costs in the meantime.

The KHS Board of Trustees and Kimball County Commissioners both approved resolutions in September allowing the hospital to issue $6.4 million in “limited tax general obligation bonds” to be paid for by hospital revenue over 25 years. Voter approval is generally not required to issue general obligation bonds with limited tax pledges.

KHS officials have said critical access hospitals like Kimball’s are reimbursed by Medicare for costs incurred for both inpatient and outpatient services, including allowable costs such as depreciation and interest related to building projects. Essentially, they say, Medicare can be expected to reimburse KHS for more than half of the project cost.

“We have a debt service capacity of 1.73, which basically means that for $1 million worth of payments, we have $1.7 million worth of payment capacity,” Cederburg said. “I would not support the project if I was not personally and totally convinced that we can make those payments.”

COVID vaccination registration 

COVID vaccination registration is now available for people 18 and older! Nebraska residents can register at vaccinate.ne.gov. You can then go to pphd.org and sign up for a location, date, and time that will work for you. Vaccines will also be available during your Kimball Health services Clinic visit, ask your nurse or provider for details.
 

Important covid-19 care information

In order to keep everyone safe and to allow us to continue to provide care to all patients, we are asking everyone to follow these guidelines.

Call Us Before You Come
If you have been exposed to COVID-19, been in contact with a positive person or you are having COVID-19 symptoms, please call to complete screening and receive instructions before coming in.

Kimball
(308) 235-1966 – 7 am to 6 pm during the week
(308) 235-1951 – all other times

Pine Bluffs
(307) 245-3666 – 8 am to 6 pm during the week

To keep staff and patients safe, walk-in patients with COVID-19 symptoms are not being accepted at the Kimball Clinic. An exam room specifically for patients experiencing symptoms has been established. Please call to complete a screening and to schedule a same day appointment.

If you have an emergency call 911.

Testing
Testing for symptomatic patients is available by appointment only in Kimball and Pine Bluffs. Please call to complete screening and to schedule a test.

Kimball
(308) 235-1966 – 7 am to 6 pm during the week
(308) 235-1951 – all other times

Pine Bluffs
(307) 245-3666 – 8 am to 6 pm during the week

Visitors
Clinic and outpatient service visitors are limited to one visitor.   Hospital patients are allowed two visitors at a time with no set number of visitors per week. Visitors must wear a face mask at all times while in the facility.

Please continue all of the important precautions to protect you, your loved ones, and your community from the spread of COVID. Wear a mask when possible, stay at least six feet away from others, wash your hands, monitor for any symptoms, and stay home if you are not feeling well.

Panhandle Public Health District
 

For the latest information on COVID-19 from the CDC