Schneck Medical Center continues to purchase property for future growth and development to meet the health care needs of the community.
The Seymour hospital is planning to purchase three more properties near its campus at 411 W. Tipton St. Those properties are at 600 W. Laurel St. and 118 and 120 S. Poplar St.
On Monday night, the Schneck board of trustees voted to pay $90,000 for the Laurel Street property, currently owned by Ulysses and Mona Black, and $165,000 for the other two, owned by Norma Kilgas, for a total of $255,000.
Last month, the board approved to acquire 508, 510 and Hildreth’s Liquor Mart at 512 W. Tipton St. and 100 S. Pine St. for $500,000. The hospital also acquired the former Denny’s Auto Repair and Towing property at 416 W. Tipton St. in July 2018.
The properties on Poplar Street consist of vacant lots, while the one on Laurel Street has a residence and some smaller accessory structures on it that will be removed.
Debbie Mann, Schneck’s vice president of finance and chief financial officer, said the property owners approached the hospital first about selling.
"Whenever property owners in proximity to Schneck’s campus approach us, we consider those offers," she said.
The hospital has no immediate plans for the properties, Mann added.
Purchasing property is a strategic move for the hospital to put itself in a position to offer new services to more people.
"As the community grows and the need for health care grows with it, expansion of existing facilities is a byproduct of that growth," Mann said. "Having property near Schneck’s main campus provides us options for future facilities locations."
That’s how Schneck’s cancer center came to be built, she said.
"Schneck identified a community need to provide expanded cancer care services locally," she said.
Prior to the construction of the cancer center, local patients needing radiation oncology services had to travel outside of the county to receive treatment, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour multiple times a week.
"Having the ability to construct the center on property already owned by Schneck allowed us to provide a service locally that had previously not been available," she said.