Mary Greeley Medical Center is a 220-bed regional referral center owned by the City of Ames, Iowa. Although city owned, no public funds are used for ongoing operations, and it operates much like a private hospital. As the second largest employer in Story County, it is located ⁄2 mile north of the Ames central business district with a staff of 1,437 employees and annual payroll of $34.7m. Administrative responsibility is held by a five-person publicly elected board.