Early view of West Tenth Street where PCRMC and
the University of Missouri-Rolla golf course are now located.

The first hospital in this area was a makeshift military hospital located at the Phelps County Courthouse during the Civil War. After the Civil War, the Rolla District Medical Society was formed and consisted of doctors from Phelps, Dent, Crawford, Maries, Miller, Pulaski and Texas counties.

From early on, citizens have made health care a priority in Phelps County. During the 1920s, the U.S. Trachoma Hospital and the private McFarland Hospital were founded in Rolla.

The McFarland Hospital moved to several locations and closed in 1946. That same year, Phelps County passed a bond and land was purchased and donated to the county by the Rolla Lions Club.

On March 12, 1951, Phelps County Memorial Hospital opened with 63 beds, 65 employees and 21 medical staff members.

Rolla and the surrounding areas entered a new era of providing quality health care for its residents, and as Rolla and the surrounding areas grew, so has the hospital.

Important Dates

• 1965 - The hospital was expanded by 49 beds.
• 1973 - An additional 58 beds were added, as well as a lobby, dining room expansion and nurses station expansion and additional services were also introduced.
• 1977 - Another 26 beds were added as well as an addition to the ICU, pediatrics and the ambulance garage.
• 1981 - Expansions in 1981 and 1983 added Oncology and the Stress Center.
• 1987 - The Radiation Oncology Center opened at Phelps County Regional Medical Center (PCRMC).
• 1993 - MRI and Cardiac Pulmonary Rehabilitation were added and Ambulatory Surgery, Rehabilitation Services, Maternity Services, Emergency Department and Medical Imaging were expanded.
• 1994 - Addition of Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Services were also added at this time.
• 1996 - Psychiatric Unit renovated to create the Center for Psychiatric Services.
• 1997 - PCRMC developed a new Cardiac Catheterization Lab.
• 1998 - Home Health and Hospice Services were added.
• 2003 - A $3 million renovation of the Emergency Department was completed. Additionally, a 72,000 square-foot expansion was made for Radiation Oncology, Physical Rehabilitation, Cardiac Rehabilitation units and a new state-of-the-art Laboratory.
• 2004 - PCRMC announced plans for building a new Intensive Care Unit and Step-Down Unit.
• 2005 - PCRMC announces plans to build a Medical Office Building on campus to house physician offices and outpatient services. Also, PCRMC began working on a new 18-bed ICU and 36-bed Step-Down Unit.

As PCRMC has grown, so has the economic impact on the area. From its humble beginnings in 1951, health care now represents 21 percent of the economic production of Phelps County.

PCRMC is a regional medical referral center, employing over 1,300 people and treats patients from a six-county service area.


Phelps County Regional Medical Center has undergone various improvements and expansions over recent years. One project
that was completed in December 2003 was a $3 million renovation
of the Emergency Department.

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