Community Health Screening to Kick Off 50th Anniversary Celebration

PARSONS, Kan., Jan. 13, 2011– Labette Health will begin a year-long 50th anniversary celebration with a community health screening Saturday, January 22. The screening will take place from 7 to 10 a.m. in Labette Health’s new conference facility at the south end of the hospital. Participants should park in the hospital’s south parking lot and enter through either of the Medical Office Building entrances.

Activities will include free blood pressure checks, “last chance” flu shots, blood glucose tests for diabetes, and body mass index assessments. Also available will be free spirometer tests to measure lung function, peripheral vascular disease tests to identify circulation problems, “sit and reach” and grip tests to measure physical function, and hearing tests. Booths will provide information on such topics as early detection of breast cancer, symptoms of cardiac arrest and stroke, fall prevention, sleep apnea and simple exercises to improve fitness and flexibility. A pharmacist will be available to discuss drug interactions, and nursing students from Labette Community College will assist with the screenings.

A more complete panel of laboratory blood tests, including lipids for cholesterol and hemogram, which measures blood counts, will be available for a reduced fee. Those who plan to have blood tests should fast for at least eight hours prior to the screenings. Results will be mailed to participants, who will be responsible for discussing the results with their own healthcare provider.

“Screening guidelines recommend that anyone 20 or older should have screening lab testing a minimum of every 5 years -- more often as you get older or if you have certain risk factors,” said Deb Smart, director of Labette Health’s Laboratory and Radiology Departments. “This health screening is our way of offering the community access to these tests at an affordable price.”

The January 22 community screenings will kick off a schedule of monthly activities leading up to a gala celebration in October by the Labette Health Foundation.

“As we planned our anniversary celebrations, we wanted to start in our own community with something that will improve the health of the people we serve,” said Labette Health CEO Jodi Schmidt.

Labette County Medical Center, as it was known until it became Labette Health in 2007, officially opened its doors at midnight Oct. 1, 1961. At the same time, Mercy Hospital, operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph, stopped admitting patients and closed shortly afterward.  Mercy Hospital, which had formerly been located on the site of the Good Samaritan Society facility in northeast Parsons, had been cited by the State Board of Health for fire safety hazards and ordered to close.

In a March 24, 1959, special election, Labette County voters approved construction of a new hospital by a two-to-one margin. The new facility, which cost approximately $1,550,000 to build, had a capacity of 65 beds and was staffed by 90 employees with an annual payroll of $250,000. 

The new hospital boasted the latest technology. In addition to state-of-the-art surgical suites, X-ray equipment and laboratory, the entire building was air-conditioned and each patient room was equipped with a television, radio and telephone. More than 11,000 visitors took advantage of guided tours offered in the days before the hospital began officially admitting patients.