About Us

History – 1949 – Ground breaking

Ground was broken for the Polk County Memorial Hospital on March 17, 1949, when County Judge Champ C. Bell turned the first ground.
Seventeen months later, Saturday, August 19, 1950, the hospital was dedicated. During the two-day opening event an estimated 2,500 visitors toured the medical facility.
The first patient, Emmett (J.C.) Stokes was admitted Monday, August 21. It cost $350,000 to build the hospital.

1950 — Polk County Memorial Hospital

The hospital was originally built in 1950 on Pine Street (Hospital Hill). After 30 years of service, plans were developed to build a new facility.

1980 – Wilhelmina Medical Center

A nonprofit community hospital. The hospital name changed when it was erected on its present site in 1980.

1991 – Mena Medical Center

The hospital’s name changed when governance was assumed by the City of Mena and appointed Hospital Commission.

2005 – Mena Regional Health System

In July 2004, Mena Medical Center began an $8.5 million construction and expansion project which added over 31,000 square feet of new space to the facility and renovated over 11,000 square feet of existing space. With the growth and improvements in services and in recognition of the wide geographic area of residents utilizing the hospital, the Mena Hospital Commission decided to change the name of the organization to Mena Regional Health System effective with the completion of construction in 2005.

Mena Regional Health System is a 65-bed community hospital providing care to the communities of Mena, Polk County, and the surrounding counties in Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma.

Mena Regional Health System has a longstanding tradition of service to the community. Polk County Memorial Hospital was originally built in 1950. After 30 years of service, plans were developed to build a new facility and Wilhelmina Medical Center, a nonprofit community hospital, was erected on its present site in 1980. The hospital’s name changed to Mena Medical Center on October 1, 1991 when governance was assumed by the City of Mena and the appointed Hospital Commission.

In 2005, a major expansion and renovation project was completed adding over 31,000 square feet and updating over 11,000 square feet. This project and the increasing market area served culminated into a new name that more accurately reflected what the hospital has become: Mena Regional Health System. The hospital serves the Mena region and has developed a complete system of healthcare services for you and your family’s needs.

Mena Regional Health System offers a diverse compliment of inpatient, outpatient, and home health services to the community. Hospital impatient services include acute care medical/surgical services, a 6-bed ICU, labor and delivery services, a 12-bed geriatric psychiatry unit (Mena Senior Behavioral Health Center), and a 12-bed physical rehabilitation unit (Mena Rehabilitation Center).