WASHINGTON   –  U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) praised Ozarks Medical Center as the hospital prepared to celebrate the opening a new, state-of-the-art Emergency Department on July 18.

“Quality medical services, especially in emergency situations, is extremely important in Southern Missouri.  The high demand for emergency medicine must be matched by dedicated, caring doctors, nurses and medical professionals – and they all need the facilities to enable them to best serve patients.  Ozarks Medical Center is providing those facilities,” Emerson said.  “West Plains is fortunate, and I am very proud, to have a tremendous new facility as part of our continuum of care for Southern Missouri. We need to encourage more investment in our health care infrastructure, and OMC provides a great template for success we ought to repeat in as many communities as we can.”

The Emergency Department will be open to the public for tours at the 2:00 p.m. event, the only time the facility will be open to full viewing by the public.