The facility closed in September 2017 after its owner, Magee, Miss.-based Pioneer Health Services, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016.
The hospital’s closure forced patients to travel to other hospitals as far as two hours away to receive care, said Sen. William Stanley, R-Franklin, who introduced and sponsored the bill, according to the report.
But that would change under the newly approved bill. The hospital would rather be licensed until the end of 2018, “making the property more attractive to a potential buyer and speeding reopening by several months,” The Washington Post reported.
The bill’s approval comes after opposition from Senate Democrats killed identical legislation about a week ago. At that time, Senate Democrats opposed that measure because Mr. Stanley wouldn’t support linking the bill to Medicaid expansion, according to the report. However, new Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, MD, encouraged both sides of the aisle to come together for the bill, which unanimously passed in the Senate Tuesday, according to the report.
The House has also passed a companion measure. As of Tuesday, the bill had not yet been signed by the governor. However, it would take effect immediately if he signs it into law, according to the report.
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