Keefe Memorial Hospital: History.

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Our History

Keefe Memorial Hospital
In 1931 in an old boarding house (on what is now Main Street) Dr. Leonard N. Meyers opened the first small hospital in Cheyenne Wells to serve the people of Cheyenne County and the surrounding area. In 1947 this small hospital became the St. Joseph Hospital of the Plains when the Sisters of St. Joseph Third Order of St. Francis (TSOF) from Bartlett, Illinois Province assumed ownership.

In 1960 the booming medical needs of this deemed it necessary for a new facility. The Sisters of St. Joseph, a federal grant and a community fund campaign provided funding. In October 1962, the new St. Joseph Hospital of the Plains was opened and was formally dedicated in May 1963. This is still our current facility. Also in 1962, Dr. Jerome Keefe built a new clinic just south of the hospital. The additional and location of the clinic helped facilitate better utilization for outpatient services and also ensured the availability of a doctor just steps away!

Expanding Our Services
The need for more space and more services arose once again in 1974. A building fund was raised and a new addition was started in the summer of 1975. Upon completion services expanded included a patient care area, the solarium and a larger laboratory area. This new addition was dedicated on April 25, 1976. The Sisters of St. Joseph (TOSJ) from 1947 to December 1987 governed this hospital, when the sisters generously gifted the facility to the county and it became Cheyenne County Hospital. In 1992 the hospital received a small facelift making its internal appearance beautiful, warm and caring. In 2004, the heating and air conditioning system was replaced making for a much more efficient comfortable building.

A New Name
In May of 1993, Cheyenne County Hospital was renamed to Keefe Memorial Hospital in recognition of Dr. Jerome Keefe who has dedicated nearly half a century to the delivery of health care to the people of Cheyenne County and the surrounding area.

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