Hiawatha Community Hospital and Amberwell Health announce today an affiliation to create a clinically integrated network to provide patients in Northeast Kansas improved access to a full spectrum of care close to home.
The affiliation of Hiawatha Community Hospital and Amberwell Health provides the opportunity to strengthen the future of healthcare in Northeast Kansas and surrounding areas. Within Amberwell Health, the affiliated organizations can share clinical service lines and operational infrastructures.
A 2019 Navigant study showed that nearly 30% of rural hospitals in Kansas are at high financial risk for closure. Both organizations realized the importance of affiliating with other rural healthcare facilities in order to maximize the ability to invest in providing more care and services as well as invest in people, equipment, and facilities that allow both organizations to evolve with the rapidly advancing healthcare field.
Affiliation between rural healthcare systems is still unique and rare across the country. The affiliation of Hiawatha Community Hospital and Atchison-based Amberwell Health will protect local jobs and allow both organizations to retain their current governing and leadership structure, while focusing on strategic quality and growth in Northeast Kansas.
Over the next few months, existing Hiawatha locations will undergo rebranding and individual service lines will begin evolving as the two organizations work together to serve patients and communities. Patients and community members can follow updates on the integration at amberwellhealth.org/hiawatha.
About Hiawatha Community Hospital
Hiawatha Community Hospital is a 25-bed critical access hospital located in Hiawatha, Kansas since 1951. The hospital provides inpatient, outpatient, surgical, and emergency room care and sponsors two rural health clinics in Hiawatha and a third clinic in Highland, Kansas, providing primary care services to the communities they serve.
About Amberwell Health
Amberwell Health is a healthcare system dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the communities we serve, providing compassionate healthcare with clinical excellence. Amberwell Health is comprised of Amberwell Atchison providing inpatient, outpatient, home health, and hospice services; primary care clinics Amberwell Horton Clinic, Amberwell Troy Clinic, and Amberwell Eighth Street Clinic; and Amberwell Leavenworth Clinic which provides surgical care, orthopedic care, and occupational health services.
