As Geary Community Hospital faces financial crisis, Stormont sends Letter of Intent to join forces
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - As Geary Community Hospital faces a financial crisis, a solution may be found in a Letter of Intent from Stormont Vail to join forces and care for Geary County residents.
Stormont Vail Health says on Tuesday, April 19, a Letter of Intent was accepted by the Geary County Commission and Geary Community Hospital, as well as its Board of Trustees, to negotiate a contract for clinical services.
The Topeka-based health network said the move could result in Stormont hospital and clinical services being provided in Junction City and Geary Co.
Stormont said it submitted a non-binding Letter of Intent on Friday, which was approved by the Geary Co. Commission and Hospital Board of Trustees on Monday.
“Our intent is that we together will create a healthcare system that delivers high-quality care close to home and is financially sustaining,” Robert Kenagy, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Stormont Vail Health said. “Together we support a regional effort that will not only enhance healthcare access and delivery but strengthen our region’s economic vitality and quality of life.”
Margaret Grismer, Interim CEO at Geary Community Hospital, said her team is excited about the prospect of working with Stormont as a partner in high-quality, safe care.
Grismer credited the work of the Hospital Transition Task Force with the development of strategies and a collective vision for the delivery of healthcare now and in the future.
“The Geary County commissioners are also to be commended for their support to ensure hospital and healthcare services continue to be available long-term,” she said.
Stormont said the non-binding letter provides that it is willing to negotiate and potentially enter a contract to provide hospital and clinical services in Geary Co. If a contract is reached and closed, it said Geary Co. would own the hospital building and lease it to Stormont. It said contract closing would be subject to conditions being met, including all required licenses, permits and governmental approvals.
Stormont noted that the letter comes at a time when Geary Community Hospital faces a financial crisis. It said the hospital announced in January it closed its 6-bed ICU as it continues to provide emergency, inpatient, outpatient and surgical services as well as services through primary care and specialty care clinics.
Like Stormont, it said Geary Community Hospital has been in operation for more than a century and started when local physicians set up the hospital to take care of residents in the community. Geary Community Hospital became a city hospital for about 40 years before it moved to county jurisdiction in 1963.
Stormont said it also has a growing presence in Manhattan with two dozen primary and specialty providers, as well as the construction of a large medical facility near the Kansas State University campus which will be the home of all Manhattan Stormont Vail medical groups when it opens in summer 2023.
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