NORFOLK, Neb. -- Nearly five months after a car crash triggered a devastating gas explosion at St. Patrick’s Church Parish Center in O’Neill, the community is showing remarkable resilience. On October 7th, the incident not only destroyed the two-story parish but also damaged parts of the neighboring Avera St. Anthony Hospital. 

The explosion damaged Avera St. Anthony Hospital’s utility infrastructure and the east side of the hospital’s facility, which included the pharmacy, the lab imaging, and the emergency department.

“Ten minutes after the explosion happened, there were 50-foot flames above that parish center,” Avera St. Anthony Hospital President and CEO John Kozyra said. “They were higher than the power pole lines. Fortunately, in health care, we're trained on how to deal with disasters.

“With the hospital in disarray, many questions of health care arose from the community, like where does one go in an emergency,” Avera Board President Amy Shane said. “It was very impressive how well the hospital responded and gave the public answers quickly. If there was an emergency, we could go 18 miles to the West Holt Memorial Hospital until our ER reopened.”

After the hospital was closed down due to ceiling tiles torn, glass shattered, and so many uncertainties, the initial outlook to reopen was expected to take three to six months. Fortunately, the hospital was able to open in 25 days.

“We had two different groups come in and do structural engineering assessments on the facility to make sure that it was structurally sound,” Kozyra said. “All of the medical equipment had to be evaluated by our biomedical experts and manufacturers to ensure that it was safe for our patients. So, we had to do several weeks of really in-depth analysis to make sure that we were able to bring patients back into the facility in a safe manner.”

With the small town of O’Neill attempting to recover, the community rolled up its sleeves and didn’t give up, and because of it, their hard work did not go unnoticed.

“Despite the hardship of what we went through this year, we were recently named as one of the top 100 critical access hospitals in America,” Kozyra said. “So, to be recognized as a top 100 out of almost 1400 critical access hospitals in the country, that was really meaningful to us.”

“The Top 100 Rural & Community and Critical Access Hospitals award programs elevate the very best performers and help create a road map for those seeking to improve financial and operational performance while continuing to care for the communities they serve,” said Michael Topchik, Executive Director, The Chartis Center for Rural Health.