Iola Hospital

Iola Hospital. . , Iola’s public hospital planning was formalized on July 12, 1920. Shares were sold at $50 each, with a $25,000 capitalization target. Established in the home occupied by recently retired Dr. Johan H. Lee, Iola Herald reports indicate it opened that fall. Lee’s practice (1901-20), located in the Graystone Building, had been assumed by Dr. A.R. Bellerue (1919-31), who required surgery and recovery accommodations. , The Lee home’s confines (Church and Washington, now Iola and Chet Krause Dr.) were still satisfying the hospital’s needs when Dr. William Wilker (1929-1950) in 1931 assumed Dr. Bellerue’s practice. In 1945 ongoing operational difficulties prompted shareholder certificates to be called in and replaced with non-profit membership certificates. A 1950 “stone front” addition expanded the hospital. In 1956 a new surgical area and a maternity suite was added. In 1980 a new structure was built; the hospital closed on Oct. 28, 1990; operated as a skilled nursing facility thereafter until February 1, 2020. , Iola’s first medical professional was Dr. I.W. Noves, whose practice commenced in the 1870s. Other prominent early medical practitioners included Drs. George Dale (1884-98) and T.E. Loope (1898-1938). The first Iola Hospital nurse was Nora Ambroson.