CoxHealth to build new hospital in Monett

In a day and age when many small Ozarks hospitals have shuttered, CoxHealth is advancing its level of care in one rural area. In the coming months, the health system will break ground on a brand new $42 million hospital in Monett, replacing the current facility that was built in 1953.

“Our current hospital has served the community well over these six decades, but we believe it’s time to grow and a new facility is part of that,” says Darren Bass, president of Cox Monett Hospital. “We’re very excited for this project, and believe it will raise the standard of care we’re able to offer patients in this region.”

The 70,000-square-foot hospital will be situated along Highway 60 on the eastern edge of Monett. When complete, it will offer an enhanced Emergency Department, multiple operating rooms, and an attached office building that will house physician clinics, 40 exam rooms as well as a cardiac rehab facility.

It’s all part of CoxHealth’s strategic efforts to ensure that populations in rural areas have access to the health care they need, especially in critical, time-sensitive situations.

“When someone is having a heart attack or a stroke, time is of the essence to ensure optimal recovery. Critical access hospitals like Cox Monett are vital to offering that care for patients,” says Steve Edwards, president and CEO of CoxHealth. “It’s a privilege to be able to offer this level of service in a rural area where it’s so desperately needed.”

After breaking ground, it’s estimated the project will take around two years to complete.

Cox Monett Hospital began in 1953 as St. Vincent Hospital. It joined CoxHealth in 1993, and is one of CoxHealth’s two critical-access hospitals. The other – Cox Barton County Hospital – is located in Lamar.