WATONGA, Okla. — Mercy Hospital Watonga celebrates National Rural Health Day as one of the best in the country at providing rural care.
The Chartis Center for Rural Health named Mercy Hospital Watonga to its 2024 Performance Leadership Award list, recognizing it as among the top 25% of rural hospitals across America because of high scores in quality and patient perspective.
“We’re proud to be a top-notch multidisciplinary hospital, where everyone can count on the highest-quality care at a low cost in their own community,” said hospital administrator Bobby Stitt. “Everyone you see working at our facilities is one of your neighbors. We’re all dedicated to providing compassionate care around the clock all year long.”
The award is based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX, a comprehensive and objective framework for assessing rural hospital performance. The benchmarks are used by rural health organizations to measure performance across multiple areas affecting operations and finance.
“The Performance Leadership awards capture the commitment, diligence and innovation with which America’s rural hospitals approach the delivery of care within their communities,” said Troy Brown, a Chartis network consultant. “It’s a tremendous honor to be able to recognize the efforts of this year’s award winners and celebrate their achievement as part of National Rural Health Day.”
National Rural Health Day
National Rural Health Day is organized by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, a membership association of state offices of health. Oklahoma State University’s Center for Health Sciences operates the Oklahoma Office of Rural Health.
Every November is an opportunity to focus on the work at places like Mercy Hospital Watonga to provide comprehensive health care services outside of urban areas. Rural hospitals are often the only source of emergency or inpatient care for local residents.
Working to eliminate access limitations, provider shortages and other rural health care challenges helps ensure rural Americans can pursue their dreams, build businesses and contribute to the nation’s economic well-being.
Mercy has also long been a leader in virtual care, which helps fill gaps for rural health, reducing the need for patients to physically seek out care or reorient their lives to gain access to specialists. Mercy’s focus on virtual care began more than 10 years ago when it launched hospital-based telemedicine programs, giving Mercy a crucial head start as a national leader in virtual services.
Mercy Hospital Watonga
Mercy Hospital Watonga is a multispecialty facility, providing critical services to people in and outside of town. The hospital’s emergency room, swing beds and other services are an essential part of keeping local patients safe and healthy in their own community.
New services debut every year, including the recently upgraded facility to house a new computed tomography (CT) scanner. It’s another critical service allowing local patients to stay local.
The hospital’s Community Health Needs Assessment is under way now, with residents invited to let Mercy know how to improve local services. Fill out the assessment at surveymonkey.com/r/WatongaCommunity.
For more information, call 580-623-7211 or visit the Mercy Hospital Watonga webpage on mercy.net.