The shuttered Massillon, Ohio-based Affinity Medical Center could reopen under a new name and operator as early as this fall, according to a WKSU news report.
Since the 156-bed hospital's closure in February, city officials have been fielding proposals from companies looking to reopen it. The city purchased the hospital for $1 in May.
The city reviewed six proposals and chose Knoxville, Tenn.-based Paramount Matrix Healthcare to bring a hospital back to Massillon.
Paramount Matrix will lease the hospital for five years at a cost of $50,000 per month. In addition, the operator will pay the city $1 million to make up for what it spent on facility maintenance while it was closed. The hospital would be renamed Massillon Regional Medical Center.
The city council will vote on hiring Paramount Matrix on Sept. 10.
If approved, the hospital would reopen in phases. The first phase would include reopening a four-bay emergency room Nov. 1. Former employees would have first dibs on jobs at the facility.