Kansas City, Mo.-based Saint Luke's Health System plans to close two of its five community hospitals in an effort to streamline services.
The two microhospital locations affected are the Saint Luke's Community Hospitals in Olathe and Shawnee, Kan. The emergency rooms there will stay open until Dec. 23. The system said inpatient services will close sooner; a precise date was not provided.
Saint Luke's said the closures are "part of a strategic plan to focus resources on higher volume locations and continue to provide fast access to high-quality emergency care where there is the greatest patient demand."
Staff at the two microhospitals will be provided opportunities to stay with the health system.
The community hospital model was introduced by 16-hospital Saint Luke's in 2018 to provide more efficient emergency services and combat long waiting times. The system closed two other community hospitals in 2020, both in Overland Park, Kan.
The three community hospital locations remaining open in Kansas are in Leawood, Kansas City and Roeland Park.