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New Hospital Being Built At Fort Leonard Wood To Better Serve Soldiers And Families

An artist's rendering of what the new hospital at Fort Leonard Wood will look like.
Fort Leonard Wood
An artist's rendering of what the new hospital at Fort Leonard Wood will look like.

Soldiers, their families and veterans near Fort Leonard Wood in the Ozarks will have a new place to receive medical care. 

Construction on a $400 million, 400,000-square-foot hospital and clinic officially started Monday.

The current General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital is 55 years old, past its intended service life. The building suffers from a leaky roof and utilities that struggle to keep pace with increasing demands. 

It was built before MRI machines were widely available, so its machines are off-site because they won’t fit in the building. 

“We’ve had to deal with the door freezing shut during ice storms,” said Col. Kimberlie Biever, the hospital’s commander. “Despite challenges, our staff provided excellent service and put patients first.”

The new hospital will have other advantages.

“It will be more efficient in terms of function, Biever said. “It will be more cost effective to maintain, and it will be a beautiful facility where people want to work and where our patients will be welcomed in a therapeutic environment.”

The current hospital building at Fort Leonard Wood is 55 years old.
Credit File Photo | Jonathan Ahl | St. Louis Public Radio
The current hospital building at Fort Leonard Wood is 55 years old.

The new hospital is part of the military’s long-term commitment to health care, said Lt. Gen. Scott Dingle, surgeon general of the Army, who was on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony.

“Today we affirm that enduring care for our soldiers, their families, and all the beneficiaries will always be provided in the best facility,” Dingle said.

The project will also be an economic boon to the region, providing jobs for more than 4,000 workers over four years. The new hospital will serve the soldiers and families who live on post and more than 30,000 veterans who live within 30 miles.

The new hospital is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024.

Follow Jonathan on Twitter: @JonathanAhl

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Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Jonathan Ahl joined Iowa Public Radio as News Director in July 2008. He leads the news and talk show teams in field reporting, feature reporting, audio documentaries, and talk show content. With more than 17 years in public media, Jonathan is a nationally award-winning reporter that has worked at public radio stations in Macomb, Springfield and Peoria, IL. He served WCBU-FM in Peoria as news director before coming to Iowa. He also served as a part-time instructor at Bradley University teaching journalism and writing courses. Jonathan is currently serving a second term as president of PRNDI ââ
Jonathan Ahl
Jonathan Ahl reports from the Rolla Bureau for St. Louis Public Radio. His duties also include covering central and southern Missouri for Harvest Public Media. Before coming to St. Louis Public Radio in November of 2018, Jonathan was the General Manager for Tri States Public Radio in Macomb, Illinois. He previously was the News Director at Iowa Public Radio and before that at WCBU in Peoria, Illinois. Jonathan has also held reporting positions in central Illinois for public radio stations. Jonathan is originally from the Chicago area. He has a B.A. in Music Theory and Composition from Western Illinois University and an M.A. in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. He is an avid long distance runner, semi-professional saxophonist and die-hard Chicago Cubs fan.