75 Years of Healthcare Excellence, Close to Home

On December 8, 1942 - John Kirby is born in County Limerick, Ireland.

After the death of his mother, John Kirby, along with his father and two brothers, moves to Springfield, OH.

Kirby moves in with a neighboring farm family, the McCoys.

The McCoys move to Illinois to settle near Decatur, and Kirby joins them.

Kirby enlists in Company F of the 2nd Illinois Cavalry Regiment at the beginning of the Civil War. He serves with Grant at the Siege of Vicksburg and in Louisiana before being discharged at the end of the war.

Kirby marries Mary E. Marquiss, the granddaughter of the founder of Monticello, IL. The couple has two children, but one dies in infancy.

John and Mary Kirby and their daughter Nell retire from agricultural labors and move to Monticello, where they reside in a stately family mansion.

John Kirby dies in Monticello. His will states that the City of Monticello will receive the Kirby mansion and $100,000 upon the death of his wife, Mary. The money and residence are to be used to establish the John and Mary E. Kirby Hospital.

On December 7, 1938 Mary Kirby dies.

On September 22, 1939, Nell M. England (daughter of John and Mary Kirby), W.H. England, Maxwell R. Hott, Bela M. Stoddard and Herbert Mohler are appointed directors for the hospital.

On September 25, 1939, Certificate of Incorporation No. 8903 is issued by Illinois Secretary of State Edward J. Hughes to the John and Mary Kirby Hospital as a corporation not for pecuniary profit.

On September 26, 1939, Madora B. Moore and Allen F. Moore convey their home and estate surrounding it to the John and Mary Kirby Hospital.

Contract let to Hagerman & Harshman of Sullivan, IL, for the remodeling of the Moore residence into a hospital facility.

Welcome to 1941

The first patient is admitted to the John and Mary E. Kirby Hospital. Medical staff includes 15 doctors, four registered nurses and eight employees in the service departments.

Dr. Abe D. Furry becomes the only physician left at the hospital during most of the war.

Nell M. England dies and leaves her entire estate to the hospital.

Over the years, the Kirby Auxiliary has gradually ceased activity until hospital administrator Tom Dixon approaches Lois Crouse with the idea of reactivating the Auxiliary.

Because of an acute shortage of nursing home beds in the county, a 63-bed nursing home is built next to the hospital. Auxiliary members assist with the opening of the nursing home.

Kirby Ambulance Service begins.

On January 1, 1986, Due to changes in the insurance industry, Kirby closes its obstetrics department. Over the years, Kirby’s obstetrics staff delivered 4,635 babies, the first being John Kirby Chaney in 1941 and the last being Matthew Walters on December 31, 1985.

Kirby celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of their not-for-profit corporation in 1939. Over the last 50 years there have been 39,389 admissions, a total of 307,184 days spent in the hospital and 302,204 outpatient visits.

A renovation of the hospital is complete with the addition of two private rooms and a renovation of the Laboratory and Emergency Departments.

Kirby receives the Press Ganey Compass Award - Inpatient Services: Recognizing Outstanding Performance Improvement in Patient Satisfaction.

Kirby receives the Press Ganey Summit Award - Emergency Department, which is awarded to hospitals achieving 95 percent or higher patient satisfaction for three or more consecutive years. Kirby goes on to receive the award again for the Emergency Department in 2007, 2008 and 2012.

On September 29, 2011, The new Kirby Medical Center begins providing care at its current location at 1000 Medical Center Drive in Monticello after receiving over $3 million in donated gifts and pledges and acquiring 108 acres of property along Interstate 72.

The Volunteer Corp is established, which is a subset of Kirby’s 200 plus member strong Auxiliary.

Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality names Kirby Medical Center in the top 52 hospitals with the cleanest patient rooms, with the national average at 74 percent and Kirby achieving 93 percent.

The Kirby Auxiliary donates $16,000 toward the hospital’s purchase of a new ambulance.

The first phase of the Wellness Trail, a one-mile stretch of pathways, opens to the public with the support of over $500,000 in private, tax-deductible gifts.

• Kirby Medical Center celebrated its 75th Anniversary.
• Our Surgery department has again won the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for sustained patient satisfaction.
• Our new Kirby Medical Group at Cerro Gordo opened on December 19th, CrossFit KMC and our GetFit programs opened in June.
• Steve Tenhouse, CEO, was presented an award from ICAHN for his dedicated service and outstanding leadership to the statewide hospital organization.

• Kirby Medical Center was named a 2017 Guardian of Excellence Award winner by Press Ganey.
• Kirby was named one of the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals for Best Practice Recipient for Patient Satisfaction in the country.
• KMC was awarded the Studer Group’s Excellence in Patient Care Award for Emergency Department Performance.
• Dr. James Manint was awarded 2017 Rural Physician of Excellence Award by the Illinois Rural Health Association.
• KMC began expanding the Therapy Department, Parking and Accessibility, and the new Outreach Conference room.
• Kirby Auxiliary donated $21,000 to Kirby Medical Center, with funds going toward the purchase of a new power cot for Kirby Ambulance.

• Kirby Medical Center once again received Guardian of Excellence awards from Press Ganey for sustained excellence in patient satisfaction and employee engagement.
• Kirby Medical Center was honored to be recognized as a Top 20 Critical Access Hospital in the U.S. for Patient Satisfaction by the National Rural Health Association for the second year in a row.
• Kirby Medical Group received the 2018 Excellence in Patient Care award in the Employee Engagement category.
• In August, KMC’s new Therapy Garden officially opened for all to enjoy, support for the Pergola by Kirby Auxiliary. The Lab Department relocated and doubled in size, as well as Kirby Medical Group adding 11 new rooms to its facilities and one new procedure room. KMC Active opened up to the community to give members of Piatt County and surrounding areas more options to better their health. These programs include KMC 30, KMC Endurance, and KMC Yoga.
• Kirby Auxiliary raised $22,000 to support the purchase of a power patient cot for our Ambulance Service, as well as the construction of the new Therapy Garden pergola.

• KMC was named one of the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals for Patient Satisfaction from the National Rural Health Association.
• Kirby Medical Center began construction on relocating the gift shop. The construction of Kirby Rx, a retail pharmacy located inside KMC, began.
• Kirby Auxiliary donated $29,000 to KMC to support the purchase of a Vein Viewer for the Emergency Department and the Smartcuve Breast Paddle Curve System for the Imaging Department.
• Future plans for 2020 consist of opening a medical office building and adding Senior Life Solutions, an outpatient group therapy program designed to meet the needs of adults struggling with symptoms of depression and anxiety.