What could best be described as a “throng” of people was on hand Monday morning for the Open House event marking the change of the Clinton County Hospital to a member of the Bowling Green based healthcare group, Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation.

The ceremony, which was hosted by the Albany – Clinton County Chamber of Commerce, was attended by a large number and a cross section of people, most from Albany and Clinton County, but many from across the region, including several staff and officers from CHC and its various facilities.

In addition to the welcoming ceremony and ribbon cutting, the public was also invited to take advantage of a free health fair inside the lobby of the hospital with screenings and tests that ranged from cancer screenings to blood pressure to weight loss management, just to name a few.

Chamber of Commerce President-Elect Rob Winsett opened the ceremony with a few brief welcoming remarks before introducing Albany Mayor Nicky Smith.

Mayor Smith, during his remarks, called Clinton County native and the President and Chief Executive Officer of CHC Connie Moreland Smith, to the podium, where he presented her with a certificate declaring Monday as “Commonwealth Health Corporation Day in Albany”

“The future for health care in Albany and Clinton County looks bright,” Mayor Smith said, thanking CHC for “stepping forward” and making the acquisition of the Albany facility.

Clinton County Judge/Executive Richard Armstrong briefly addressed the crowd, pointing out how important the health care facility was to the community and also remarking about the large number of people who had turned out for the Monday morning ceremony.

“My daughter was born here in 1972 so this hospital means a lot to me and the people of Clinton County,” Armstrong said. “We have a lot of good staff here and I’m sure we’ll have more and we’re just excited to have you here and evidently everybody else is too because this is the best turnout I’ve seen for anything other than a little league team.”

Connie Moreland Smith, who has risen from a floor nurse to the highest position within the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, told what this venture meant to her, as a native Clinton Countian.

“Thank you all, this is a great day for us and its a personal day for me and our family and friends,” she said. “I’ve been gone since 1979 as far as living in Bowling Green, but my heart has always been here.”

Smith recalled one of her first experiences at the hospital when she was in health field careers class at the Clinton County Vocational School while in high school and the class was on a field trip to the then Clinton County War Memorial Hospital, where she and her classmates were witnessing a baby being delivered in the hospital delivery room.

“I remember leaning up against the wall and passing out for the first time, so I guess I’ve come a long way since those days,” Smith told the crowd gathered underneath the front entryway Monday morning.

She gave a brief time-line of the events that had led up to the CHC making the acquisition of the Clinton County Hospital, recalling that she “was so pleased” when then Hospital Administrator J.D. Mullins had called her and asked if CHC would have any interest in acquiring the Clinton County facility into its group of health care facilities.

She and others from the CHC group met in October with the local board and a few days later in October they met with the bankruptcy attorneys involved in the case and on the following Friday, CHC took over operations.

The official closing date on the acquisition was April 1.

“Everybody has been awesome to work with and we know that this is going to be a win-win, it’s going to be good for Clinton County but it’s also going to be good for Bowling Green,” Smith said. “We are proud to be here today.”

Eric Hagan, who served as the Interim Administrator for the facility during the recent transition phase, also briefly addressed those on hand.

Hagan remembered coming to the facility and first finding a healthcare facility that was in bankruptcy and near closing.

He said that he later realized that “with just a little bit of effort and some of the things we already had with some of our resources, some of our corporate structure and some of our relationships with health care providers in this region,” the facility could be saved and remain open to serve the community for its future.

Also introduced to the crowd was Laura Belcher, who has been named to the position of Administrator and will be leading the local medical facility as its permanent administrative leader.

Belcher said she was looking forward to working with the staff of the Medical Center Albany, and also especially to working with the entire community of Albany and Clinton County in the future to ensure the future of healthcare here and to see that the facility was on stable ground.

A huge crowd turned out Monday to welcome Bowling Green based Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation to the community.

CHC staged an open house at the Medical Center Albany, formerly the Clinton County Hospital. CHC purchased the local hospital and officially took over operations April 1.

CHC President and CEO Connie Moreland Smith, left, a native of Clinton County, addressed the crowd on hand Monday Also during the initial portion of the ceremony, Laura Belcher, right, was introduced as the Administrator.

Monday’s program also included a ribbon cutting ceremony that was hosted by the Albany-Clinton County Chamber of Commerce.