From Vision to Hospital District
Cochran Memorial Hospital was founded through the vision and determination of Cochran County residents who recognized the urgent need for local healthcare. In June 1945, a group of farmers formed a temporary board and applied for a charter to establish a cooperative hospital. The board included Glenn Thompson, W.W. Smith, Mark Kennedy, M.A. Bennett, L.B. Kelso, B.H. Tucker, and P.J. Ausmus.
After receiving the charter in October 1945, the newly named West Plains Health Association launched a county-wide membership drive on March 18, 1946. Meetings were held across Cochran County and neighboring communities in Texas and New Mexico, and memberships were offered for $50. The campaign was met with overwhelming support, and 475 memberships were sold by April 18, 1946.
Construction began on April 24, 1946, on the 200 block of East Grant Avenue in Morton. Despite delays caused by material shortages, the hospital was praised as one of Morton’s most modern and imposing structures. It was fireproof and equipped with state-of-the-art surgical and patient facilities. Construction was completed in July 1947 at a cost of a little over $150,000, and the hospital was leased to the newly formed West Plains Health Association. The facility officially opened as West Plains Hospital and Clinic on August 7, 1947.
The facility operated as an open-staff hospital, welcoming any qualified physician and serving both inpatient and outpatient needs. By late 1947, it housed 23 beds and treated approximately 50 clinic patients daily. In 1952, the Association sold the hospital to Cochran County, returning each shareholder their original investment of $50 plus a dividend of $7. The county continued operations under the name West Plains Hospital and Clinic, occasionally leasing the facility to physicians for nominal fees, typically $1.00 annually.
A major expansion in 1967 added 18 beds, a nursery, nurses’ stations, a new dietary department, and a staff dining room, along with modern heating and cooling systems. That same year, the Cochran Memorial Hospital District was created by state legislation through H.B. 1233, transferring ownership from the county and granting taxing authority to support hospital operations.
From its humble beginnings to its current role as a trusted rural healthcare provider, Cochran Memorial Hospital and Morton Rural Health Clinic remain deeply rooted in the values of service, community, and care. They continue to meet the medical needs of Cochran County and surrounding areas with dedication and pride.