Freeman Health to fill care gap left by Ascension ED closure

Joplin, Mo.-based Freeman Health System is taking over operations at the emergency department in Fort Scott, Kan., which has been without a full-service hospital since Ascension Via Christi closed its emergency department in December.

Fort Scott, a community of about 7,600 residents, has been without a hospital since 2018, Freeman said in a June 14 statement shared with Becker's. When the emergency department closed seven months ago, residents were forced to seek medical treatment 30 minutes away in Pittsburg or across the state line in Nevada, Mo. 

"Sadly, this community has been without this level of care since the beginning of 2024 and this is simply not acceptable," Freeman President and CEO Paula Baker said during a June 13 announcement. 

Freeman plans to establish 10 inpatient beds in the building, with the emergency department featuring six bays that will provide 24/7 coverage. 

Support for the emergency department includes laboratory, radiology, computerized tomography and an inpatient pharmacy. Opportunities to have outpatient lab, radiology and CT services will also be available.

"Our plan is to begin these services as soon as possible. We must go through a state and federal survey and achieve licensure, but we are very confident in our ability to meet those requirements," Ms. Baker said. "Our projection is that everything will be in place and operational by April 1, 2025."

Freeman has an existing footprint in Southeast Kansas, with a 50-bed hospital planned for Pittsburg, as well as primary care clinics, an outpatient surgery center and medical oncology program already established there.

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