Excelsior Springs has, since its inception, been a place of healing. Excelsior Springs Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kristen Dehart explained that Excelsior Springs takes its very name from the healing waters that attracted people to the area. In the late 1800s, she explained, Civil War soldiers would come from the East because they heard about water that could heal people. “Everything was through word-ofmouth,” she said. “Someone would say take your daughter 1,000 miles and dip her in the murky water, and she’ll get healed.” The healing properties of the water in Excelsior Springs include minerals and natural medicines such as sulfa saline. Dehart noted that even today, sulfa is used in medications to produce antibiotics for those in need when sick. According to Dehart, saline water in the 1800s and early 1900s would help people if their bowels were blocked. People would come to Excelsior Springs to drink the saline water and clean out their bodies so they could feel…