Coffey Health System

Coffey County Hospital was founded as a church-sponsored hospital with 22 beds, an emergency room, two operating rooms, a laboratory, and a radiology department. That original facility is still in use today, though it has been largely swallowed up by numerous additions throughout the years.

Coffey County purchases the hospital and appoints a board of trustees to oversee operations.

Clinics in Waverly and LeRoy expand the scope of physician services into smaller communities throughout Coffey County. (Unfortunately, the LeRoy clinic closed in 2024.)

An addition to the south end of the hospital allows expanded physical and occupational therapy services, as well as a clinic space (now used for administrative offices), a new cafeteria, and a three-room conference center.

The Meadows in Burlington offers an alternative to nursing home care by catering to those who are no longer able to keep up housework or are simply ready to enjoy retirement without household maintenance. Residents maintain their independence while receiving minimal assistance and enjoying home-cooked, restaurant-style meals each day.

Tremendous growth leads the Coffey County Hospital Board of Trustees to adopt a new name and organizational structure: Coffey Health System. Also in 1993, Coffey Health System recruited two young physicians who would help to dramatically change the scope of healthcare in Coffey County. John Shell continues as our Chief Medical Officer to this day. Mike Kennedy took a position at KU Med in 1999, but his impact continues through medical students who train here.

A major expansion to the existing hospital came with the passing of a bond from local community support. This expansion almost doubles the square footage, adding a new emergency department, ambulance bay, EMS living quarters, and remodeling the radiology and laboratory departments. The addition also creates a new physician clinic with individual suites for five physicians, with an additional suite for the outpatient clinic.

Coffey County residents approved another addition to the hospital, nearly doubling patient capacity. A new patient wing brought an additional twenty beds. Two Labor, Delivery, Recovery, Postpartum (LDRP) rooms; a new kitchen, dining, and meeting area; and a new outpatient clinic area were also added.

Yates Center Medical Clinic becomes an integral part of Coffey Health System. Established by Dr. John Atkin in 1963, the clinic has served generations of Woodson County families.

CHS Rehabilitation & Wellness opens at 409 Cross Street in Burlington. The facility is home to our outpatient physical, speech, and occupational services, as well as health information management.

Coffey County Hospital earned national accreditation as a Critical Access Hospital and earned the coveted five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This places Coffey County Hospital among the top 7 percent of U.S. hospitals, and among the top four community hospitals in Kansas.