• Centennial of Care and Compassion

 Media Advisory
 
 
For immediate release: Monday, June 16, 2025
 
Centennial of Care and Compassion
 Freeman Health System Celebrates 100th Anniversary with Rededication Ceremony
 
What: Freeman Health System celebrates 100th anniversary
 
When: 10:00 am Thursday, June 19, 2025
 
Where: Freeman Hospital West conference rooms
 
Background: A rededication ceremony will take place Thursday morning celebrating Freeman Health System’s 100 years in Joplin, showcasing just how far things have come when Freeman Hospital first opened for business in 1925 with a staff of just 19 nurses and five doctors.
Ten decades later, Freeman Health System serves as the region’s largest single employer with 5,300 clinicians, physicians, and employees – thanks in part by acquiring Sales Memorial Hospital to become Freeman Neosho Hospital, merging with Joplin’s Oak Hill Hospital to create Freeman East Hospital, joining forces with behavioral health provider Ozark Center in 1996, and a new 10-bed acute hospital and emergency care center in Fort Scott, Kansas, opening later this year.
Freeman Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Matt Fry will speak during the ceremony, along with Freeman Board of Directors Chairman Dr. Lance Beshore, Joplin Mayor Keenan Cortez, and Joplin Historian Brad Belk.
A reception with food and drink will follow the rededication ceremony.
Under the banner “A Century of Service, A Legacy of Caring,” the health system is celebrating throughout 2025 its 100 years of providing the highest-quality healthcare possible for the numerous communities it serves.
 
Media: Contact Kevin McClintock, Media Relations Coordinator, at 417.434.3458 if attending.
 
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About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2024, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers and their experiences. U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System one of the Best Hospitals for 2022. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 90 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services, women’s services, and many others for all of the Four State Area. Freeman is also involved in numerous community-based activities and sponsored events and celebrations. Additionally, in the Joplin/Pittsburg areas, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.