Only three days into the new year and Big Sandy Medical Center (BSMC) is celebrating the generous donation of a large corner lot located across the street from the hospital’s main facility. The donors, Lance Peterson and his sister, Michelle Wisbey are part of the larger Peterson and Pavlovick families. The property was once home to Elsie Pavlovick and after her passing, the property was inherited by her grandchildren Lance and Michelle.

BSMC approached the Peterson’s in the late fall about possibly selling the corner lot to BSMC so it could be used to house the new clinic building. With much sentimental value attached to this property, the Peterson’s considered what grandma Elsie would want them to do with her homestead. “And then we got the call,” remembers Harvey Keller, Board Chairman of BSMC. “Harvey, we’ve decided not to sell the property to BSMC, instead we want to donate it.” And on January 3, 2023, the land was officially gifted to BSMC.

“We are forever grateful to the Peterson and Pavlovick families for this generous gift,” says Ron Wiens, CEO of BSMC. “The land is a perfect place for the new clinic building and will save BSMC much time and money as it brings the clinic online later this spring.”

The new clinic building will allow BSMC to expand its current clinic space from four exam rooms to as many as eight and still have additional space for expansion for other services as well. “We hope to add mental health services by recruiting a therapist and possibly a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. In addition, there will be ample space to encourage specialists from the larger cities to come to Big Sandy once or twice a month to provide follow-up care locally rather than having our community residents make the long drive to them,” Wiens says. “It’s generous donations like this that really can make a significant difference in the healthcare services BSMC can provide to the community.”

The people of Big Sandy built this facility in 1965. 58 years later, the community continues to support the expansion and operation of BSMC; this is why people are the heart of BSMC.