The Arizona Department of Health Services has approved former Dallas-based Steward Health Care's Phoenix-based St. Luke's Behavioral Health Center to operate in a limited capacity after it was ordered to cease operations in mid-August.
Here are seven things to know:
1. Arizona officials required the hospital to halt operations Aug. 14 after temperatures inside reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Employees were furloughed Aug. 26 at the hospital; and Steward, which sought Chapter 11 protection May 6, filed a WARN notice to lay off 255 employees on Oct. 1.
2. Santa Fe Springs, Calif.-based College Health Enterprises, a healthcare management company, became interim manager of the hospital after receiving bankruptcy court approval during an Oct. 22 hearing. College Health has applied for a change of ownership with the state and will remain the interim operator until the ownership process has been completed, a spokesperson for College Health said in a Dec. 6 statement shared with Becker's.
3. ADHS and College Health have worked together to review plans for needed repairs to the hospital and to provide technical assistance with the ownership change and licensure transfer process, a spokesperson for ADHS said in a Dec. 6 statement shared with Becker's.
4. Employees at ADHS have been at the hospital multiple times over the last months to meet with hospital leadership and building contractors to ensure the facility is safe and ready to reopen for both employees and patients. Inspectors with both the city of Phoenix and ADHS have received regular updates on the facility and completed final surveys to verify that necessary repairs have been conducted.
5. College Health has now been permitted to open a 26-bed unit to serve adults needing inpatient care of those who have been court-ordered to receive treatment.
6. Steward must move forward with a March 25 ownership transfer of the facility. ADHS plans to work with the operator and monitor the process closely to ensure a safe and smooth reopening.
7. "We are honored to acknowledge the exceptional work of the newly established St. Luke’s team of local professionals, who have consistently delivered high-quality behavioral healthcare services in Arizona," the College Health statement said. "The hospital’s longstanding commitment to the community will continue, and our team remains steadfast in providing exceptional care to every patient."
Steward did not have a comment for Becker's at this time.
Editor's note: This story was updated Dec. 11 at 2:42 p.m. CT.