Calico Rock, Ark.-based Izard County Medical Center's future is uncertain after entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to TV station KAIT.
Americore Holdings and its hospitals, including Izard County Medical Center, filed for bankruptcy in December. Izard County Medical Center was facing financial troubles when it was acquired by Americore in 2017, and documents obtained by KAIT show the hospital is still on shaky financial footing.
Americore owes more than $465,000 in unpaid rent for the hospital building and property, and the company allowed its commercial property insurance to lapse for several weeks, according to the report.
Employees of Izard County Medical Center and residents of Calico Rock are worried the hospital will close. Robert Lane, MD, who has practiced medicine at Izard County Medical Center for decades, said the financial situation is causing delays in getting needed supplies.
"We have difficulty in securing pharmaceuticals simply because of lack of money," he told KAIT.
Other hospitals owned and operated by Americore are also in dire financial straits. Its hospital in Ellwood City, Pa., has been closed since Dec. 10. In the past year, businesses have sued Americore claiming they're owed nearly $800,000 for supplies and services provided to its hospital in St. Louis, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.