History
A great community deserves a great hospital. From its humble beginnings
through decades of expansion, North Kansas City Hospital stands today as
a beacon of hope and health to those who work and live in the
Northland.
Humble beginnings
A dream turned to reality for Northland residents when North Kansas City Hospital opened in 1958.
The first money raised for the Hospital’s construction came from a
two-day chili event. Organizations and churches pitched in and collected
$1,000.05. This event sparked interest in obtaining the remaining funds
necessary to build the Hospital.
North Kansas City Hospital
opened on March 30, 1958, with an 80-bed facility. Flash forward to
today. North Kansas City Hospital is a 69-acre campus comprised of North
Kansas City Hospital, a 451-licensed bed, acute-care facility; Health
Services Pavilion encompassing patient rooms, outpatient services,
offices for Hospital staff, physician offices and a conference center;
Health Center North, the location for Home Health Services and NorthCare
Hospice; and two physician office buildings, known as Medical Plaza
North and Professional Building North.
Decades of expansion
Throughout
the Hospital's nearly 50-year history, a series of expansion projects
allowed the Hospital to grow to better serve the needs of a growing
community. In 1960, 20 beds were added; 80 more were added in 1963 and
an additional 36 in 1968. By this time, the Hospital’s bed capacity was
up to 216 beds.
As the population and industrial growth north of
the Missouri River continued, the Hospital expanded again in 1972. The
project added 94 beds, including a 24-bed behavioral health unit. This
brought the number of beds to 310.
In 1992, five patient floors
and a sixth floor mechanical area and meeting room were added to the
Hospital tower. As it now stands, the Hospital building totals 12 floors
with all private rooms available to patients.
Today’s vision for tomorrow
The
last construction activity focused on Health Services Pavilion. The
project added 250,000 square feet and 100 inpatient beds with 50
additional beds available for future growth.
Six stories were
added to the top of the Pavilion for inpatient beds, outpatient services
and additional physician offices. A walkway connects the main Hospital
building to the Pavilion on all floors. During this expansion, nearly
1,300 parking spaces were added for employees, patients and visitors.
Other areas within the Hospital also were expanded and remodeled,
including the Laboratory, Surgery area and Emergency Department.
From
humble beginnings to a bright future, North Kansas City Hospital
remains the Northland's premier health care facility thanks to the
efforts and foresight provided by leaders and citizens of the Northland.
