Kansas hospital to close, affecting 327 jobs

Ayla Ellison -

Mercy, a St. Louis-based health system with more than 40 acute care and specialty hospitals, will close its hospital in Fort Scott, Kan., by Dec. 31.

Mercy announced plans in October to shut down the facility, citing declining patient volume and shrinking reimbursement as the reasons for the closure of the 46-bed hospital.

"Despite the tireless efforts of everyone, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott has continued to experience declines in patient volumes and revenue, as well as the additional challenge of recruiting and retaining physicians," reads a statement from the hospital on its Facebook page.

When the hospital closes at the end of the year, 327 employees will be laid off, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice filed by Mercy. Some employees may transfer to other Mercy facilities, officials told KOAM-TV in October.

Mercy said all current primary care physicians at Mercy Clinic Fort Scott have agreed to continue practicing in the area with Pittsburg, Kan.-based Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas. CHC will take over Mercy's clinics in the area in early 2019, according to Fort Scott Biz.

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