Howard Memorial Hospital celebrates national recognition

NASHVILLE, Ark. (KSLA) - A small-town hospital celebrated a big honor Thursday (Aug. 17) with leaders in southwest Arkansas.

“The hospital has been a wonderful thing over the years,” said Larry Dunaway, mayor of Nashville, Ark.

Howard County, Ark. leaders celebrated the national recognition of Howard Memorial Hospital. Located in Nashville, Ark., the small hospital has been named one of the top 20 critical access hospitals for overall performance in the country. The honor was given by the National Rural Health Association.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

“For us being a small town with just over 4,000 people, you know, that is a great thing,” said Mayor Dunaway.

Dunaway says this recognition is well deserved for the 20-bed facility.

“It doesn’t surprise me. It is really a great honor for our town and the whole community, this whole southwest Arkansas to have a facility like that,” the mayor said.

Hospital leaders say the data used to determine which hospitals were honored was gathered during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are around 235 employees working at Howard Memorial Hospital.

“The local people who work there really care about the patients and take care of them. I’ve been a patient myself out there at times and it’s really a great thing that they care as much as they do,” Mayor Dunaway said.

The National Rural Health Association is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and wellbeing of Americans living in rural areas.

Copyright 2023 KSLA. All rights reserved.