Group effort breathes new life into Perry hospital
For Immediate Release
October 25, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — They say it takes a village to raise a child. The same could be said of the Perry Memorial Hospital. It has taken a village pulling together to keep the hospital doors open.
In 2018, the hospital came dangerously close to closing. Stillwater Medical Center (SMC) assumed control of Perry Memorial Hospital with a five-year contract. Also, the town voted overwhelmingly, more than 80 percent in favor, of a tax on themselves in order to keep the hospital afloat under SMC’s guidance. This selfless action most likely saved countless lives throughout the pandemic.
“The Perry Memorial Hospital has long served the community as a resource providing healthcare services and employment to Perry. Partnering with Stillwater Medical Center has continued to fulfill that need to our community,” said Lawrence Wortham, mayor of the City of Perry. “Through our new and current partnerships, the City of Perry will be blessed with an updated and renovated hospital that will facilitate future development and services to our citizens.”
“Stillwater Medical Center (SMC) is very proud and grateful to work with such a committed community and group to be able to continue to offer valuable quality rural healthcare services to the citizens of Perry and the surrounding area. For me personally as a longtime resident and employee of the hospital in Perry am very proud to serve this community and excited for this upcoming project and the future of rural healthcare in Perry,” said Courtney Kozikuski, President/CFO of Stillwater Medical Perry and Blackwell.
After the worst of COVID had passed, a group consisting of representatives from foundations, nonprofits, hospital systems, attorneys, accountants, and city officials came together to formulate a plan for the hospital’s long-term viability. The plan involves a nearly $13 million renovation to modernize the facility and add efficiencies.
The City of Perry has committed to funding early project-related costs. The Malzahn Family Affiliated Fund, administered by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, has been in talks with community leaders since the inception of the project. Trustees decided to make their largest investment to date by awarding a $5 million grant toward the project. And on September 28, MetaFund closed on a project to allocate $7 million of New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) to Perry Memorial Hospital. BancFirst provided funding through the purchase of the NMTC allocation from MetaFund and conventional financing to cover the costs of construction and renovation.
“Like many rural communities, Perry has struggled to keep their hospital viable in recent years as the cost to provide essential services has skyrocketed,” said Blake Trippet, MetaFund’s Chief New Markets Officer. “At MetaFund, we are very proud that we could be a part of the solution by providing the NMTC allocation that closes the final gap in their capital stack to start construction. There’s a lot of work to do, but the project is a big win for the community of Perry and healthcare delivery throughout the region.”
“It is our belief that commitment to our community and dedication to the health and wellbeing of our co-workers, friends and neighbors is the best way to support a thriving Perry community,” said Tiffany Sewell-Howard, a trustee with the Malzahn Family Affiliated Fund. “This grant for the Perry Memorial Hospital project is a living embodiment of the commitment my grandfather Ed Malzahn made when he started this fund more than 30 years ago, and I am very proud to see this project move forward for people in Noble County.”
The Perry Facilities Authority and the Stillwater Medical Center Authority have entered into a lease agreement for another seven years, subject to the development and construction of the additional improvements and renovations to the existing Perry hospital facility.
“The consummation of this transaction demonstrates how a forward thinking community and collaborative efforts can sustain critical medical services for Perry residents,” said Dennis Brand, BancFirst Chairman of the Executive Committee. “As a Perry native it was gratifying to be involved in this community-wide project. The absence of a medical facility in Perry would have sent a signal to outsiders, existing businesses and industry that the community lacked an enduring spirit to grow and prosper.”
The hospital also applied for the new federal designation of Rural Emergency Hospital. They were ultimately approved and became the first rural hospital in Oklahoma with that designation which greatly increased reimbursement rates. It also helps assure the community that emergency and outpatient care as well admission for observation care would be provided close to home.
-30-
Media Contact: Ed Long
Phone: (405) 922-7580
Email: Elong@metafund.org
About MetaFund
MetaFund is an Oklahoma-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit working with other nonprofits, the private sector, and government toward a just world free of poverty. MetaFund invests in creative solutions for communities, with a primary focus on employment, housing, health, and child well-being. https://www.metafund.org.
About the Malzahn Family Affiliated Fund
Ditch Witch founders, and former Perry residents, Ed and Mary Malzahn established the Malzahn Family Affiliated Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation in 1992 to support their community in perpetuity. Since its establishment, the fund has awarded more than $13.7 million to Noble County charitable organizations with the goal of making Perry and the surrounding area a great place to live, work, go to school and raise a family.