[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14280-14281]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING MANCHESTER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wish to celebrate the 45th 
anniversary of Manchester Memorial Hospital located in Manchester, KY. 
Originally the Oneida Mountain Hospital founded in the mid to late 
1920s, Manchester Memorial Hospital is now a 63-bed, acute care, 
nonprofit Christian community hospital.
  James Anderson Burns and Dr. C. Adeline McConville, an optometrist 
from New York City, founded the original hospital in the early 1900s. 
In the late 1930s, when McConville's failing health forced her to 
retire, a board of trustees was selected, and the hospital deeded to 
the State of Kentucky so it could receive State funding. In 1952, the 
State returned the hospital back to the remaining original trustees.
  The doors reopened in 1955 and by the mid-1960s, the hospital had an 
average occupancy of 139 percent. The logical next step was to build a 
new hospital. After many years of hard work fundraising and 
negotiating, construction was completed in 1971 on a tract of land in 
the Lyttleton area.
  I would like to extend my thanks to the leadership and staff at 
Manchester Memorial for their hard work and dedication to helping the 
people of Kentucky, and I congratulate them on 45 years in their new 
hospital. Though it started small, today Manchester Memorial Hospital 
has more than 500 employees and averages 60,000 patient visits each 
year. It is the parent organization for five home healthcare offices 
serving 14-plus counties in Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia and 
has been twice named a ``100 Top Hospital in America.''
  An area publication, the Manchester Enterprise, recently published a 
piece announcing the 45th anniversary of Manchester Memorial Hospital. 
I ask unanimous consent that the article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

            [From The Manchester Enterprise, Sept. 8, 2016]

                  Memorial Hospital Opens Their Doors

       In September 1971 patients were transferred from Oneida 
     Hospital to the new Memorial Hospital
       Manchester Memorial Hospital is celebrating its 45th 
     anniversary this year. The hospital started from humble 
     beginnings as Oneida Mountain Hospital, which began in the 
     mid-to-late 20s by founder James Anderson Burns, founder of 
     Oneida Baptist Institute, and Dr. C. Adeline McConville, an 
     optometrist from New York City.
       It was Anderson's dream to bring a hospital to the area, 
     and Dr. McConville was captivated by his pursuit of it. She 
     pledged to return to the mountains with him and work to open 
     a hospital.
       Dr. McConville operated the hospital until the late 1930s, 
     when failing health forced her to retire.
       A Board of Trustees was selected and the hospital deeded to 
     the state of Kentucky so it could receive state funding. It 
     operated under their leadership until 1952, when the state 
     returned the hospital back to the remaining original 
     trustees.
       The late Mr. Thomas Britton sought diligently for an 
     organization to come operate

[[Page 14281]]

     the hospital. Through the advice of a friend, he contacted 
     the Seventh Day Adventist Church and they accepted the 
     challenge.
       Due to the building being vacant, their first task was to 
     make it usable again. Through various donations they re-
     opened the doors after a three-year hiatus on August 22, 
     1955.
       Over the years, the hospital continued to grow and by the 
     mid-60s had an average occupancy of 139 percent. There were 
     times when the 22-bed hospital had 49 patients. The clinic 
     was equally as crowded. The choice was obvious--build a new 
     hospital.
       Fund raising began with the plan to build another hospital 
     in the Oneida area. Plans were drawn and submitted, but the 
     Department of Health would not approve the site.
       Hospital Administrator Herb Davis, with Dr. W.E. Becknell, 
     negotiated through Mr. Saul Goins to build the hospital on a 
     tract of land in the Lyttleton area that Mr. Goins farmed on. 
     But there was a problem; there was no bridge to the land.
       Mr. Isom Hensley started a letter-writing campaign to the 
     Department of Highways to request a bridge be built. The 
     State approved the bridge, and now the attention turned to 
     raising money for construction.
       Mrs. Marie Langdon and Mr. Bill Baker started soliciting 
     donations for the construction. The Clay County Jaycees each 
     pledged $200 apiece towards the construction.
       The dream of a new hospital became a reality in late 1969 
     as approval was given and construction began in 1970. The 
     hospital was completed in mid-1971 and the transfer of 
     patients from Oneida to Manchester was made in September of 
     that year.
       Here's a look at the story from September 9, 1971 where the 
     hospital was moved from Oneida to Manchester:
       Patients and equipment vacated the century-old Oneida 
     Hospital in what was described as one of the quickest moves 
     in the annals of hospital history.
       Herb Davis, administrator of Memorial Hospital in 
     Manchester, said the 23 patients at Oneida were moved in 
     ``record time'' and without a ``single incident.'' All were 
     brought to the new Memorial Hospital in Manchester.
       Only three of the patients were able to sit up for the ride 
     from Oneida to Manchester.
       The move was accomplished through the help of both local 
     funeral homes, who provided ambulances and personnel to 
     transport the patients 17 miles in distance.
       At the same time the patients were moving, much of the 
     medical care equipment needed by patients was moved.
       In one case, a patient was taken off the operating table 
     following surgery and the table was removed while he was in 
     recovery to be transported.
       Statistics on the move as released by hospital officials 
     list Mrs. Webb, 93, of Burning Springs as the last patient to 
     leave Oneida Hospital.
       Mrs. Ester McIntosh was the last person to receive surgery 
     in the old hospital, and Mr. and Mrs. Billy Jones were 
     parents of the last baby born at the hospital.
       The first baby born at Memorial Hospital in Manchester was 
     born to Cassie and Charles Stewart of Sibert, Ky.
       The move was accomplished through a 40-hour continuous 
     effort by many of the hospital's staff, who got things ready 
     for the move, then set up again when the move was complete.
       By noon, Tuesday, eight new babies had been born at the 
     hospital and 29 patients were on the register.

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