Hospital

The Critical Access Hospital Program was created by Congress as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to help support small rural hospitals. A Critical Access Hospital must meet the following criteria:

• Be located in a rural area
• Provide 24-hour emergency care services
• Have an average length of stay of 96 hours or less
• Be more than 35 miles from another hospital

LakeWood received its Critical Access Hospital designation in 1999. LakeWood Health Center is a licensed 15 bed acute care facility offering a full range of services: medical, surgical, obstetrics, nursery, emergency room, outpatient, critical care, swing beds, transitional beds, and respite care. The acute care hospital features two Labor Delivery Recovery Postpartum rooms, a Coronary Care Unit, and six double occupancy patient rooms.