Community Hospital of Ottawa (CHO) is an Illinois not-for-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) corporation as designated by the Internal Revenue Service. In its early days as Ryburn (then Ryburn King) Memorial, the hospital was supported by a special tax levied on the city; however, a considerable amount of its funds came from donations from area residents. From the mid-1950s on, Ryburn King seldom required the use of the city hospital tax and did not request the funds. Highlights in CHO’s history include:

- 1895 The John Stuart Ryburn Memorial Hospital opened at 713 Clinton Street in Ottawa. Cecilia Ryburn presented the hospital to the city of Ottawa in memory of her husband. The hospital had nine beds and was staffed by four nurses and a few physicians.

- 1899 A $30,000 donation was given to the hospital from the estate of Roswell Lyman.

- 1909 Solomon E. King, a prominent civic leader, left the hospital a bequest of $40,000. The money was used to build a new section of the hospital on the corner of Madison and Clinton Streets. This addition was completed in 1919. The original building was then converted to a nurses’ home; it was connected to the new section by a ramp. The new section was known as the King and City Annex.

- 1919 The institution was renamed Ryburn-King Memorial Hospital.

- 1939 An addition to the hospital was built, running in front of the original Ryburn building and connected with the King and City Annex.

During World War II, the remains of the original 1895 Ryburn building were torn down and a new wing was built. The Nurses’ Home was moved to 717 Clinton Street when the hospital purchased the Leix property.

During subsequent years, the Funk property at 723 Clinton and the former Bailey-Walsh Funeral Home at 729 Clinton were added to the Ryburn property.

- 1964 On December 7, 1964, Community Hospital of Ottawa, Inc. was organized and a charter for a not-for-profit corporation was filed.

- 1966 In January, the City of Ottawa transferred all of the Ryburn assets to the new not-for-profit corporation. A fundraising campaign was launched with a goal of $800,000; the final total of pledges made came to $1.3 million.

- 1969 The Ottawa Silica Foundation presented the hospital with a deed to 30 acres of land for a new building site.

- 1971 On March 25, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new hospital building was held. The city sold the hospital to Community Hospital of Ottawa, Inc. for one dollar; the hospital was now a nonprofit institution instead of a tax-supported one. The hospital name was officially changed to Community Hospital of Ottawa (CHO).

- 1974 On April 6, all patients were moved from the old hospital building and an entirely new facility was opened at 1100 East Norris Drive. The new hospital had 157 patient beds. Area ambulance services and 100 members of the Army Reserve Medical Corps assisted in moving the patients from the old facility to the new. Cost of construction of the new building was $11.4 million.

- 1975 Inpatient mental health unit opened.

- 1978 Medical Emergency Radio Communications (MERCI) system implemented.

- 1979 On January 10, fire began in the medical electronics room at about 4:12 p.m., resulting in total loss of electricity, phones, etc. All 99 patients were evacuated to area hospitals and nursing homes or discharged home. Clean up began and the hospital was to open again on January 14. However, snow hit the Ottawa area, postponing the opening until January 15.

- 1980 On May 19, the Substance Abuse Unit was opened.

- 1982 Ambulatory surgery unit opened.

- 1983 A 1,000-square-foot addition was built. The Medical Records Department was expanded and three offices were added to the building structure.

- 1985 A parcel of land valued at more than $80,000 was donated to CHO by Ottawa Silica Company. Located in the Eastgate Subdivision, the lot lies adjacent to hospital land, and is designated to be used for the construction of medically related facilities.

- 1985 Home Health Services of Community Hospital began.

- 1992 Inpatient Child/Adolescent Mental Health Services were added.

- 1993 The CHO Medical Office Complex opened on the Eastgate property. The complex has four suites, each with approximately 2000 square feet of space.

- 1993 Community Hospice Inc. became a part of Community Hospital of Ottawa.

- 1994 On June 30, groundbreaking ceremonies were held to mark the beginning of a $15.8 million expansion/renovation program.

- 1994 CHO was named on the nation’s Top 100 Hospitals by the 1994 100 Top Hospitals Benchmarks for Success study.

- 1994 CHO Foundation was established to foster, promote, develop, encourage and accept funds for the purpose of supporting Community Hospital of Ottawa.

- 1994 Choices Outpatient Mental Health Services began providing care.

- 1995 CHO purchased the Mary L. Ferguson Building located at 1000 East Norris Drive. The building currently houses Choices Outpatient Services, CHO Home Health Services, and Midwest Kidney Center.

- 1996 Expansion/renovation project completed. New and/or expanded departments included Diagnostic Imaging, Emergency Services, ICCU/CCU, Laboratory, Medical Records, Outpatient Services, Surgical Services, Rehabilitation Services and Registration.

- 1996 CHO purchased Dr. Jed Johnson’s office building in Marseilles, with the plan of renovating the facility and staffing the clinic to better service the healthcare needs of Marseilles residents.

- 1996 CHO implemented a new telephone communications system, called the Siemens-Rolm 80, which expanded the hospital’s access to both incoming and outgoing telephone calls, and allows callers to call directly to the department they need.

- 1997 CHO purchased a 32-acre parcel of land across Norris Drive from the main facility to accommodate future needs.

- 1997 CHO LifeFit program was developed and implemented.

- 1997 The CHO Family Birth Center becam a 24-hour-a-day secured unit to ensure the security and safety of newborns.

- 2000 A $2.5 million expansion program began in Rehabilitation Services.

- 2001 In February, the doors were opened to the newly expanded Rehabilitation Services area. The expansion area of 13,000 square feet included a therapeutic pool and larger areas for Physical Therapy and Cardiac Rehab. The facility is accessible from a 54-space parking lot restricted to Rehabilitation Services patients.

- 2001 CHO Choices Behavioral Health Services opened a Memory & Aging Clinic to help older adults meet the challenges of their day-to-day life.

- 2003 Construction began on an addition on the west side of the hospital. The $2.7 million addition features expanded Outpatient Services and Emergency Department areas and a 153-seat conference room.