Jefferson Community Health & Life was established in 1963 as Jefferson County Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home, the first hospital/nursing home combination in the state of Nebraska. The facility has grown over the years, adding a home health agency in 1984, a community wellness center in 1996, expanding outpatient services throughout the years, and adding the Fairbury Clinic in 2016, and opened the Plymouth Clinic in 2018. Through its 50-plus-year history, Jefferson Community Health & Life has been very active and involved in its community, and has worked to promote health and wellness. Currently 20 visiting specialists utilize this space each month, allowing area residents the opportunity to receive specialty care locally. JCHL operates two rural health clinics offering primary care services by 9 employed providers.
In Nebraska, nearly 30 percent of the state’s population resides in rural areas like Fairbury and its surrounding communities. JCH&L faces a unique combination of rural forces not faced by their urban healthcare peers, such as continuing health provider shortages, limited access to specialty care, disparate socioeconomic factors, and higher rates of obesity, hypertension, suicide, and death by serious injury.
In August of 2022, in partnership with Hampton Roads Ventures, and US Bank, Crescent closed on a $9M Federal NMTC/$9M Nebraska State NMTC twin financing for the expansion of the Jefferson Community Health and Life Critical Access Hospital..
The expansion includes 23 exams rooms, 2 special procedure rooms, a radiology room, and a specialty room for COVID and flu patients. JCH&L currently employs 192 FTEs and this expansion will create 10 new full-time jobs ranging from nursing to support staff as well as laboratory technicians. 65% of JCH&L’s patients are Medicare/Medicaid, and this addition is expected to grow Medicare/Medicaid services by nearly 10% from 2022-2026. Additionally, the subsidy from the transaction will enhance JCH&L’s liquidity in funding ongoing services for the hospital.