Frontenac, KAN. – With ceremonial shovel scoops of dirt, what was once a wind-swept Southeast Kansas soybean field will quickly transform into Freeman Health System’s newest full-service hospital.

Wearing her iconic pink hard hat while gripping a gold-colored shovel, Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Baker led selected dignitaries – including Frontenac Mayor Steve Morrison and Frontenac City Manager John Zafuta – through the much-anticipated groundbreaking ceremony for the 50-bed, 170,000-square-foot Freeman Southeast Kansas Hospital. 

“Today we mark a historical first for Freeman Health System and the entire region,” Baker said. “We’re honored and grateful for this opportunity to improve healthcare in Southeast Kansas and beyond.”

The $168 million hospital, located on Highway 69, is set to serve a significant healthcare need.

“The region,” Baker said, “deserves the best, and that’s why we’re building here.”

Freeman Health System hired HMN Architects of Overland Park, Kansas, to design the hospital.

The construction project will be completed in three phases, over a 24- to 34-month time period, Baker said during her speech. Phases include:

·      Site development, utilities, and roadways;

·      Construction of a two-story Ambulatory Surgery Center, with the top floor dedicated to medical and physician offices; and

·      Construction of Freeman Southeast Kansas Hospital itself.

The new Freeman hospital will provide much-needed emergency care; cardiac care, including a catheterization laboratory; an ICU; maternity care; pediatrics; outpatient and inpatient surgery – including robotic procedures; medical and radiation oncology; pulmonary care; radiology; and other key services.

Freeman engineers, Baker said, are working with City of Frontenac engineers to design and upgrade sewer and water infrastructure to serve the hospital and the future of the community.

“Frontenac officials began planning for water and sewer upgrades several years before we selected this site,” she said during her speech. “The timing couldn’t be better, because they are nearly ready to start construction of a new water tower, with new pumps and piping.”

Freeman Health System is also coordinating with Kansas Department of Transportation and recently conducted a comprehensive traffic study projecting the impact of increased traffic at the hospital site, Baker said.

Once completed, the new hospital is expected to create 500 to 1,000 jobs for the area. The health system, the largest employer in the region, already serves Southeast Kansas with primary and specialty care clinics, an outpatient surgery center, and a comprehensive medical oncology program. Just down the road, Freeman will open this year a 24/7 emergency department and 10-bed acute care hospital in Fort Scott, Kansas.

“This is truly a dream come true for Freeman Health System, and for me personally, because I grew up in Pittsburg and will always hold the area close to my heart,” Baker said.