Although no formal events have been planned, Hopkins County Memorial Hospital celebrates its 66th birthday Saturday, September 5. The hospital replaced private, small hospitals owned and operated by doctors in the area. The hospital was established by business leaders in 1949 and later the state legislature created a hospital district for Memorial. The hospital has never been owned or operated by the county but rather by the hospital tax district with an elected governing board.
Sherry Moore, Director of Marketing, told KSST news that Dr. Joe Longino, long time doctor in the community who was a part of the move to Memorial, had shared all the physicians in town put all their patients into the new hospital for $6 per day and the doctors charged $5 a day for two visits each day. Moore credited men such as Dr. Longino, Bill Bradford, and others for their work in making the hospital a reality.
