While design and construction plans were prepared, the Bridges Clinic was back in business in a matter of days, first in a mobile home, and then at the American Legion Post in Ada.  In December of 1997, a temporary facility was opened with an 8-bed hospital, clinic, emergency room, outpatient procedure room, lab, x-ray, and physical therapy departments.

After more than a year of planning, ground was broken for the new $15 million Bridges Medical Center on Wednesday, June 24, 1998.  Construction began in July and brought national attention from the architectural and health care fields.  The new Bridges won a prestigious award for design of a long-term care facility.  Features such as the large commons areas, outdoor courtyard, unique room design, and skylights led Long Term Care Magazine to herald the residential wings as the state of the art.

One year and 10 months later, the new Bridges Medical Center began accepting patients on May 15, 2000, a fresh start for the new millennium.

The community was still recovering from the effects of the flood of 1997 and two additional record setting floods over the next few years didn’t help the local economy.  Bridges was owned and operated by the City of Ada and weathered some difficult times. 

In 2004 the Benedictine Health System took over management of the facility.  On March 1, 2005 a contract was signed leasing the building to BHS and turning over complete control of management and operations.  At that time the name was changed from Bridges Medical Services to Bridges Medical Center. Standing on this strong foundation, services were expanded and new ones introduced as part of a commitment to the people of the surrounding region.

The preceding story was not the entirety of Bridges’ history . . . only its beginning.