Building a Healthier Future
Since opening its doors in 1955, Howard County Medical Center in St. Paul, NE has had a mission: Provide quality, efficient health care and make the community a better place.
Dr. “Bud” Arnold was instrumental in that founding. He had come to Howard County in the late 1800’s in a covered wagon. After serving in World War I, he became a doctor and returned to his childhood hometown to serve his community, recognizing the need for a new level of health care among its residents.
Arlan Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Howard County Medical Center (HCMC) for the last 15 years, grew up in Elm Creek, about 80 miles southwest of St. Paul as the crow flies. He’d farmed all his life before circumstances altered his path. After a stint out of state he returned to Nebraska as first the clinic director, then CEO of HCMC.
HCMC has seen change under Johnson’s leadership, including the addition of five mental health providers, unheard of for a facility of its size – a 10-bed critical access hospital that serves around 5,000 people in a six-county area with approximately 150 employees. The center focuses on outpatient services with the ability to keep people overnight if needed, and includes regular services like radiology and lab, plus a robust wound care program, allergy testing, pharmacy, and an infusion center. Despite discontinuing obstetrics services due to low numbers, the center has partnered with other providers in Hastings to ensure patients receive necessary care.
“What gets me going in the day are those challenges. But also the opportunities that are out there,” Arlan said.
Ten years ago, the team at HCMC began discussing the need for an exercise facility in the community to refer people to improve their health.
“We were asking our primary care providers to get people on the track to exercise and healthier eating,” Arlan said, “but we truly didn’t have a place to send them.”
Five years ago, a committee of community members from both the HCMC and broader public came together to discuss what a community health facility should look like. They gathered ideas, sent out local surveys, and attended events to determine the wants and needs of their neighbors.
Next, Arlan and the committee presented a plan to the HCMC board to build a 17,000 sq. ft. onsite wellness center that would include a full-size lap pool, therapy pool, a walking track, pediatric services, and multiple spaces for occupational, physical and speech therapy. The total price tag? Eight million dollars.
Arlan said the Howard County Medical Center committed $3 million, their foundation raised another $1 million, and the local community donated funds as well. HCMC also set up financing with a local bank to get them through the project.
A three-year public-private partnership, the wellness center opened to the community in April of 2024.
“It used to be people came to the facility when they were sick,” Arlan said. “Now we’re transitioning people’s thinking into ‘come to the facility when you’re well, so we can help you stay that way.’ I think all of us are on the same mission. A healthier person is a better participant in the community.”
E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. It’s the traditional motto of our country, describing our history and belief that we are a nation that should work together as one. For Arlan Johnson, this creed of collaboration is the best way to fulfill the HCMC mission.
“I love rural health because it’s a drawing point. It’s a family. You know everybody. You see their faces at church or school events. It plays into truly being a community. So when you need to come together, whether it be a disaster or a positive situation, you can give them a phone call, and things will come together, no matter what situation you’re in.”
