Kathrine Smith, granddaughter of Glenn & Kathrine Atchley joins OHH board

The Olney Hamilton Hospital board of directors on Oct. 25 welcomed Kathrine Smith, great-granddaughter of hospital founder Dr. George B. Hamilton and granddaughter of longtime OHH board members Glenn and Kathrine Atchley.

The board of directors invited Mrs. Smith to serve out the unexpired term of former board member Randy Whitmire, who stepped down last month due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

Mr. Whitmire’s term expires in May 2026. Mrs. Smith and her husband Larry, relocated to Olney from Dallas in 2019. Larry Smith and Mrs. Smith’s uncle Dr. Steve Atchley, who serves on the OHH Foundation’s board of directors, attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Mrs. Smith has experience in building projects and capital campaigns that could come in handy in the construction of the new hospital, set to begin construction in January, she said.

“We are glad to have you here and from this moment your vote counts,” OHH Board President Dale Lovett told Mrs. Smith after her swearing-in.

Her husband told the board that she is honored to take the position.

“Thank you all for having her - she is extremely excited to be here. It’s been a dream for quite a while,” Mr. Smith said.

Dr. Atchley said he was “glad that a Hamilton is still going to be on the board.”

Mrs. Smith said after the meeting that the board position came open as she was looking for opportunities to serve Ol- ney’s citizens.

“As we moved here, I was looking for places to serve and this seemed like a natural fit because it has been a part of my family for so long. I want to serve and I want to give back and this just seemed like a good place to be,” she said.

Board members also reviewed a presentation by project manager Dave Lilly on the budget and construction of the new hospital, which will be build across the street from the current 1964era facility. The new hospital will be smaller than the current facility and will not offer obstetrics services, the hospital board announced earlier this year.

Mr. Lilly said that the plans include a space that could be converted into the second operating room that is required by state law to deliver babies.

The OHH board voted to stop delivering babies at the existing hospital starting on June 1, 2025. OHH is the only hospital in Young County that still offers obstetrics services.

Board members Lyndsey Miller, Dr. Jeremy Johnson, and Carl Craig disagreed with the plan to cut obstetrics and have been searching – with little success - for additional funding or alternative plans to retain those services.

“That there is space in [the new hospital] is only a little bit satisfying,” Mrs. Miller said. “I don’t think it’s the answer that we want – women need this. Every effort has been met with roadblock after roadblock so I’m very frustrated but we can’t ever give up on it.”

She did not rule out bringing the issue to lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session. “The closures [of obstetrics programs] are epidemic,” she said. “The tide has got to turn. We need our legislators to do something.”

Mrs. Smith said she “wholeheartedly” agrees with efforts to retain obstetrics at the new hospital. “I hope that as I am coming on the board that I can help find a solution because it’s just not good,” she said. “Anything I can do in conjunction with helping I am on board.”