‘Welcome Home’

Editor’s Note: This is the first story in a series covering Adair County Health System in its 75th year.

Chris Roberts had a simple message for his emergency medical services crew and others gathered last Thursday night for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Adair County Health System’s new EMS House: “Welcome home.”

“This new building represents stability, growth and a new sense of pride. But most importantly, it represents home,” said Roberts, ACHS’s EMS Manager. “To everyone who stood with us this past year, welcome home. To our EMS staff, welcome home. To the community we proudly serve, welcome home to our new EMS House.”

The opening of the new EMS House marks an important milestone in a long journey for the hospital and the greater Greenfield community following the May 2024 tornado, which destroyed the previous EMS station and caused millions of dollars in damage to the hospital across the street.

Staff from Greenfield Chamber Main Street and Development were on hand to assist with the ribbon cutting.

The new EMS facility includes three ambulance bays, providing a permanent home for all three of the hospital’s ambulances and space for vehicle maintenance as needed. It features a training room where ACHS personnel can maintain continuing education requirements and host joint training sessions with other agencies.

The entire west half of the main floor is dedicated to crew living quarters. The space includes four individual bedrooms, a spacious living room with a television and furnishings, a kitchen and a main-floor office area.

Following the tornado, many hospital services were temporarily based at Nodaway Valley Elementary School, where ambulances responded from during the summer. About when the school year was to begin, the ambulances moved to the former fire station near the Greenfield square.

Roberts said the old fire station arrangement “operationally worked,” but it came with “more challenges than comforts.”

“Our bedrooms and living rooms were inside a job trailer parked next to the building. To use the restroom, staff had to walk outside and into the main building, even on the coldest days,” he said. ”Despite these conditions, our EMS staff continued to show up every day with positivity, professionalism and an unwavering commitment. You continued to provide this county with outstanding care no matter the obstacles placed in front of you, and I’m incredibly proud to work alongside you.”

Members of the public were invited to tour the new EMS House and also enjoyed newspaper clippings, mementos and refreshments celebrating Adair County Health System’s 75th anniversary.

ACHS CEO Catherine Hillestad said the new EMS House represents “service, safety and the strength of our community.”

“Standing here a year and a half after the tornado that struck Greenfield, we are reminded not only of what we lost, but what we refused to let be taken from us: our commitment to one another,” Hillestad said.

Hillestad commended the EMS team for helping rebuild confidence and hope in the community after the storm.

“As we open these doors, we’re opening a new chapter — one built on strength, compassion and a promise that Greenfield always rises,” she said. “May this EMS House serve our residents with renewed purpose and stand as a reminder that even after the storm, we come back stronger.”