About Us
Electra Hospital District serves as the center for healthcare services for the community. Electra Memorial Hospital offers comprehensive services including a 24-hour emergency Level IV Trauma Center, laboratory, radiology, rehabilitation, surgery and cardiopulmonary services, and a variety of community services. Electra Medical Clinic offers general and family healthcare service. Other district services include Electra Home Health, Electra Medical Supply, Imagination Station Day Care, and Goldsmith’s Drug.
History
The roots of Electra Hospital District began when Dr. Henry Ogden and Dr. T. H. Parmley built and managed the Parmley-Ogden Hospital in 1927 with approximately 30 stockholders. The three-story building was located in the 400 block of North Wichita Street and served Electra and surrounding communities.
When Dr. P. E. Fish arrived in late 1927, he lived in the basement of the hospital. It wasn’t until the late 1930s that shareholders took over hospital operations and re-named the facility to Electra Hospital.
When Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill that created the Medicare program on July 30, 1965, changes in the way hospitals were regulated made it increasingly difficult for the old building to meet the requirements of the Medicare program. Dr. Fish and Ogden, along with others, saw the need for a new hospital facility and began what is now known as the Electra Hospital District.
In 1973, Texas Legislation was passed that created the Electra Hospital District, subject to a vote of the residents of the district. Senator Jack Hightower and Representative Charles Finnell sponsored this legislation at the request of the City of Electra. The Wichita County Commissioners Court appointed the initial board directors of the Hospital District, which initially included: Carl Hayers, president; Jack E. Wilkinson, vice-president; Harold J. Marsh, secretary; Dr. P. E. Fish; Dr. John Thompson; Ed Bingham; and John Lee.
The Board of Directors employed Harper-Perkins Architects of Wichita Falls to design the building and called an election to create the District and to pass a $1.5 million bond issue to construct the hospital. The vote to create the District passed by a margin of seven to one, and the vote approving the bond issue passed by four to one. Hambrick-Craig of Arlington, Texas, was the low bidder and was chosen to construct the hospital. Bob Meeks was employed as the hospital’s first administrator and Harold Marsh served as the District’s tax assessor/collector and assistant administrator for many years.
Electra Memorial Hospital was constructed on land purchased by the District from the W. T. Waggoner Estate. The dedication of the hospital occurred on America’s Bicentennial Day, July 4, 1976. The hospital opened for business in September 1976, licensed as a 26-bed acute care hospital.
After operating the hospital for some time, the Board of Directors entered into a series of management contracts with various companies, including Health Management Associates of Naples, Fla., and Bethania Hospital of Wichita Falls. Since 1996, the Hospital has been managed by the Hospital District. In 2003, the Hospital decertified one bed in order to become a Critical Access Hospital.
In addition to the hospital and a medical clinic, Electra Hospital District operates a home health service, a medical supply company, an ambulance service, a rehabilitation center, Goldsmith’s Drug Store, and has recently opened a child care center.
Board of Directors
John D. Prickett |
Janet Gilbert |
Francine Rowe |
Billy Don Clark |
Johnny Miller |
|
Roger Sanford |
Stuart Smith |
|
Administration
Jan Reed |
Rebecca McCain |
