It was the early 1930s, and Dr. Emmett Binkert, a graduate of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri, was looking for a nice small town to establish his new practice. He approached Carson City and was struck by the beauty of the St. Mary’s Church steeple punctuating the landscape. He knew this was the place for him.
“The sight of that steeple is still a landmark for Carson City, and it’s a fun story to tell that Dr. Binkert picked us because of it,” said Gary Sweet, a 35-year employee of Carson Health and the organization’s resident historian. “From what I have learned from his daughters, Dr. Binkert founded his practice here out of faith, and every subsequent expansion of the hospital was done out of faith. I believe this had a lot to do with our hospital’s continued success through many generations now.”
Dr. Binkert worked in a small office in downtown Carson City for three years, before founding Carson Health inside his home in 1936. Since those humble beginnings, there have been several expansions and many technological improvements of the facility, including the latest expansions of the new, state-of-the-art Emergency Department, the multi-storied front lobby entrance, the new Physical Rehabilitation Center, the new Radiology Department, and more.
“I like to think Dr. Binkert would be proud and in awe of how far his hospital has come,” said Sweet.
In honor of the hospital’s 75th anniversary, several events were planned throughout 2011 to honor the community, the hospital staff, Dr. Binkert and Carson Health's patients. More than 75 years later, Carson Health is still committed to home health care and has established itself as a leader in the fields of women's health, chemotherapy, chronic pain management and much more.
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