Hospital named for resident that meant so much: Coles County honors president's stepmother with facility in 1977

So it only made sense to name a new health care facility, built just north of the Lincoln-Sargent farm in 1977, after Abraham Lincoln's stepmother, in honor of her contributions to the community and to her family.

"We thought it was a nice thing to do because Sarah Bush Lincoln meant a lot to the community," said Ralph Glenn, a Mattoon lawyer for more than 53 years and one of the original members of the Area E-7 board, which oversaw the development, organization and administration of the new hospital. "She was instrumental in raising Lincoln and guiding him, so it was a good idea that that was suggested."

The suggestion was given by Dr. Mack Hollowell, a physician on the Area E-7 board, because of the rich Lincoln heritage in the area, said Patty Peterson, director of public relations for the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center.

"He said, 'I'd like the hospital to recognize Abraham Lincoln's stepmother,' " Glenn said. "And I said, 'That sounds pretty good.' So we told the other members, and everyone agreed."

The idea for the health center began in 1968. At the time, there were two hospitals, Mattoon Memorial Hospital and Charleston Community Memorial Hospital, operating in Coles County just miles from each other. And both boards of directors for both facilities were facing difficulties.

Mattoon Memorial Hospital was an extremely out-of-date facility with a huge lack of patient rooms. Charleston Community Memorial Hospital suffered from low admissions and too few physicians.

The community was faced with a big choice: Update Mattoon's hospital and continue to operate two facilities or merge into one hospital to serve all of the health care needs of the entire county in a single facility.

Because updating Mattoon's hospital would cost an estimated $6.8 million, and a new hospital of about 200 beds could be built for $7 million, a firm hired out of Chicago recommended that a regional hospital be built between Mattoon and Charleston.-;

The Charleston-Mattoon Area Medical Planning Council was formed in 1969, composed of five members from each hospital. A year later, in 1970, a corporate charter was granted from the state of Illinois for the Area E-7 board.

The initial board of directors for Area E-7 included Glenn, Hollowell, George Tankey, Clark Brogan, Harley Holt, Victor Walk and Bob Moore.-;

"We were charged with the question of forming a hospital that served both sides of the county," Glenn said. "It was the consensus of the Area E-7 members to try to combine the hospitals to serve the needs of the county instead of the individual cities."

A 75-acre tract of land east of the Coles County airport and north of Illinois 16 was selected as the best location for the health center, due to its central location and its proximity to the state highway and Interstate 57. Construction of the hospital began in August 1973.

In March 1976, Mattoon Memorial Hospital and Charleston Community Memorial Hospital agreed to cease operations and merge assets and resources. On May 10, 1977, Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center was opened. Now, Sarah Bush Lincoln's influence lives on through the impact of the hospital on the area.

Glenn stayed on the board until the facility was completed, then continued his law practice after his 10 years of board service. He said the hospital remains a top-notch health care facility and has "exceeded all of our dreams."

The new facility proved to be a key factor in attracting new physicians to the area, and Sarah Bush Lincoln soon had a medical staff that included specialists in neurology, cardiology, orthopedics and more. Now the award-winning hospital has grown to employ more than 1,400 people and continues to provide high-quality, technologically advanced medical services to residents of a seven-county service region.

"It's grown into one of the most important things I've ever been associated with," Glenn said. "It was the right thing to do, and people saw that. Health care was a major concern then, and the necessity was there."