PIONEER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

by Gladys Long

Entry T59 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

First Hospital Board 1957 L.-R. Lucy Isom, Dr. Sam
Blattspieler, John Motl, Paul Mathews and Maud Nelson

Pioneer Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home May 20, 1965

Mullen Clinic 1958 Located in the basement of Hospital

The board of trustees met 25 October, 1956
when it was voted to build a Hospital on the
Carl Simonson property. The site was 250 x
250 feet block donated by Mr. Simonson and
the property faced south between the Wol-
fenden and Hodges property.

The first hospital board was organized in
1951. They were Ross Hager, Irene Lake
R.N., Mac Osborne, Bill Bramer and Paul
Mathews. A lot of effort was done at this time
trying to get organized. Everything was at a
standstill for a period of time.

As soon as equipment was available, the
landscaping started and the basement was
dug. Work continued on the project. The
hospital board then consisted of John Motl,
Maude Nelson, Paul Mathews, Elmer Little
and Lucy Isom R.N.

The people of Mullen and surrounding
area welcomed Dr. Sam Blattspieler and
family in January of 1958. Dr. Blattspieler
went through high school in Tobias, Nebras-
ka, where his father, Dr. A.C. Blattspieler had
practiced medicine for about 40 years. Dr.
"Sam" as he was called, was in the Navy for
three years and received a Batchelor of
Science degree at North Western University
and his medical degree at the University of
Nebraska. He served his internship at Spar-
tenburg, South Carolina and also practiced
medicine in Southerland for 16 months.

The official opening of the Clinic, that was
located in the basement, was 21 January,
1958. The hospital Board made their applica-
tion for the necessary licenses in February
1958, so that it would be recognized by the
different insurance firms for state approval.
The hospital license at that time was for 12
beds and 4 bassinets, later it was reduced to
9 bed and 6 bassinets.

During this period of operation, the nurses
or nurses aids on duty cooked the meals for
the patients when the hospital was in the
basement as well as the Clinic. The kitchen
then was across the hall from the patient
rooms.

Dr. Joe Saults, a Sandhill Native, joined
Dr. Blattspieler in partnership in the Mullen
Clinic in March, 1959. Dr. Saults was born
and raised on a ranch 45 miles north of
Whitman, Nebraska. He graduated from the
University of Nebraska College of Medicine
and took his internship at Phoenix, Arizona.
He had been in private practice in Crawford
and Genoa Nebraska before serving in the
Army and was stationed at Korea.

All nurses and nurses aids and many others
donated many work hours and effort to get
the hospital underway. Many volunteers gave
time and labor that was also donated.

Nurses Aid classes were taught by Lucy
Isom R.N. for a number of classes. March 22,
1956, Lucy was included in a group of
Western Nebraskans who received the Ak-
Sar-Ben annual Good Neighbor award for
their unselfish and neighborly deed during
that past year. She was also credited with
saving the life of a young mother.

Gladys Long R.N. taught several classes
also in order to have more Nurses Aids to help
the Licensed Nurses. Rosemary Thorpe R.N.
and Irene Lake R.N. were nurses for a period
of time.

Open House was held 2 October 1959 at the
Hospital to launch a `Fall Fund Drive'.

Patients were admitted into the present
Hospital rooms upstairs in March 1959, when
the building was completed.

The first baby born in Pioneer Memorial
`Basement' Hospital was Fredrick Paul
Kraye on 22 March 1958, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Fred Kraye (Theresa Sullivan) .

In 1960, the records show there were 48
births for that year and with 150 patient days.