Clinton County Hospital was built in 1952. The hospital’s first administrator was W. Delmar Brown, who was also lab and x-ray technician and bookkeeper. The first director of nursing was Mrs. Porter (Sconnie) Beaty. She was the only registered nurse at the hospital for sometime. Gary Latham and Mrs. Eula Morrison were two of the first employees in the business office.

Some of the early doctors were Dr. Sloan, Dr. Floyd B. Hay, Dr. E.A. Barnes, Dr. Boyer, Dr. Rice, Dr. Schickel, Dr. Lawrence and Dr. Clark.

Sometimes in the early days the hospital had only one or two patients. The census jumped from one or two to 45 within six months.

The first board members were N. L. Morgan, Charles Futrell, Perry Cross, Doris Huff and another unknown member.

The first baby born at the hospital was Janet Chestelynn Conner, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chester Conner, born at 7:44 p.m. Nov. 24, 1953. Attending physician was Dr. E. A. Barnes, and nurse Mrs. Porter (Sconnie) Beaty and aide Reba Thrasher assisted.

The number of births at the hospital from 1953 through July 1986 is as follows: November 1953-August 1974----2,612; September 1974-August 1975---124; September 1975-August 1976---130; September 1976-August 1977---165; September 1977- August 1978--88; September 1978-August 1979--77; September 1979-August 1980---89; September 1980-August 1981---142; September 1981-August 1982---95; September 1982-August 1983---80; September 1983-August 1984---65; September 1984-August 1985---88; September 1985-August 1986---83.

On Dec. 9, 1984, the hospital celebrated completion of Phase I of its renovation with an open house, including a ribbon cutting ceremony for the facility’s new critical care unit. Phase I included several changes at the hospital, including extensive renovation of the hospital’s interior and exterior.

Clinton County Hospital is a 42-bed acute care facility with a four-bed ICCU unit, the only one within a 50-mile radius. Nursing staff is gauged daily to meet the needs of the patient, both medical/surgical and in the Intensive Care Unit, with special training for the particular need.

In addition to the ICCU, the hospital has a full-time respiratory therapist, a full-service laboratory, an obstetrics department with fetal monitoring, radiology, physical therapy, stress testing, a surgeon and surgical staff.

The hospital’s service area population is approximately 25,000, including patients from adjoining counties which don’t have hospitals.

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