Sledgehammer Event to Kick-Off Construction of NEW VMH-Postville Medical Clinic
The Veterans Memorial Hospital and Clinics held its “Golden Sledgehammer” event for the Postville Clinic on March 12, 2026, marking the official start of construction on the clinic. About 25 people attended the celebration, including donors, local businesses, members of the hospital’s Board of Directors and Healthcare Foundation, hospital/clinic employees, along with the project’s contractor and architect.
The short program included a welcome by Michael Coyle, CEO of VMH. He thanked Dr. McMullan for starting the Postville Medical Clinic and working to make the transition to VMH a smooth one. Also in attendance was Diana Johnson, Assistant Director of Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission, who was recognized for the organization’s role in selling the building to VMH to allow the clinic expansion. Coyle also thanked the community members whose support helped make the project possible.
Noah Koch, the general contractor spoke briefly about the project and shared that his crew was excited to work in the northeast corner of the state. He added that his team was motivated to do a great job and felt they had a strong start during the first week of work. He shared that if everything stays on schedule, they would wrap up construction in September.
Laura Baxter, Chief Clinic Officer, shared details about what the new Postville Clinic will include. The expanded space will have add three additional exam rooms for a total of five, plus a new procedure room and lab area. There will also be a new behavioral health clinic area designed for private consultations in a more comfortable, confidential atmosphere, as well as additional office space.
Growth and Development Coordinator, Beth Shafer, then thanked the donors for their tremendous support in “turning the dream into reality and working together to accomplish this goal.” She noted that raising $200,000 was a lofty goal, but thanks to the generosity of community donors, that goal was officially reached just last week.
Chairman of the VMH Board of Trustees, Dennis Lyons also shared remarks about the importance of the project for the community and the hospital’s commitment to continuing to provide accessible healthcare services in Postville.
Following the program, everyone in attendance introduced themselves and shared a few words. Many took the opportunity to thank Dr. McMullan for his vision in starting the clinic and helping ensure it will continue serving the community into the future. Several attendees also told stories about the history of the building, noting that the east half of the building originally served as the town’s post office many years ago.
Postville Mayor Dennis Koenig also commented how refreshing it was to see a project bringing new life into the community rather than watching another building and business close its doors.
The event concluded with the moment everyone had been waiting for: putting on hard hats and grabbing sledgehammers to help start demolition on a wall that needed to come down anyway. Mayor Koenig was given the honor of the first swing, quickly creating a sizable hole in the wall—demonstrating that sometimes the best way to start building something new is by knocking a few things down first.
