Administrator’s Bi-Weekly Review For Two Weeks Ending December 6th, 2025

Continued Dedicated Service to Our Community

With the Holidays thick in our midst, we are readily reminded how busy our 21^st century December lives have gotten. Once again, it is all somewhat exhilarating and mind twisting at the same time. At MCH we try to fit in as much work as we can into fewer days, as time off is essential to accommodate the extra demands of the season. This year at MCH we are tasked with higher inpatient demands than normal, while our outpatient services have shrunk some because of the holiday schedules. A feel-good thing is that Christmas songs are filling the air, and we are daily cognizant of the coming birth date of our Lord and Savior.

Closing in on another year’s end awakens my gratitude for the gritty performance our entire MCH team has given in 2025. We began the year having lost a physician in the middle of 2024 and also had two of our current providers scaling back some in a pre-retirement mode. Along with a rebalanced Herington market over the previous fifteen months of their post hospital closure, we witnessed a true leveling off in our business following two years of remarkable growth. This was not effectively forecast, so we fell behind our 2025 targets early in the year. But we held to task and with an effort to capitalize on swing bed and new surgery opportunities, we are closing out the year in a robust manner and narrowing the gap in our expected 2025 results. I ask our entire team to feel really good about their efforts this year, and to continue the course we are on. Our recent and ongoing recruiting efforts should soon pay dividends to fill some provider holes with needed relief. Thanks to ALL OF YOU!

The looming cold air of January and February feels more daunting than in recent years, as the warmth of Chief’s winter victories is not going to align with our 2026 calendar. Despite this, we mustn’t forget…they did give us quite the run over the past decade, (although it sure doesn’t lessen today’s sting). It just doesn’t feel like it should be a basketball focus this early on.

Two weeks from today is Christmas, so if I do not get another newsletter out before then (though I hope to), I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, and some truly relaxing time with family and friends. Do enjoy the SEASON!

-Kevin Leeper, CEO