It opened as the
Harney County Hospital, then controlled by the Harney County government, in 1950, replacing the Valley View Hospital. The construction cost was $322,000. Its initial capacity was 31 patients. The opening happened in May of that year. It was partially funded with a grant worth $106,687. When it was county-run, the
county judge (that is, the
county executive) oversaw the hospital. In 1989 Dale White, who was county judge, stated that doing the two jobs required "more than the average number of hours in the day". If voters voted down this levy, the hospital would have possibly ceased operations. White stated that not having a hospital in Harney County could potentially cause fatal outcomes due to a general lack of proximity to healthcare facilities. An April 1990 referendum on whether to create a new hospital district and give control of the hospital from the county government to the district succeeded. 1,367 voters approved, and 628 voted against it. There were a total of 3,767 registered voters at the time. Having a separate hospital district means a separate tax base and an administrator whose sole job is to operate the hospital. In 2005 the hospital had a traveling doctor and a mobile trailer to provide healthcare to the southern parts of Harney County and to
Denio, Nevada. Matthew Preusch of the
Associated Press wrote that the southern part of the county, with its long distances from healthcare facilities, had a "particularly acute" absence of such services. The current facility was built in 2008. ==See also==