St. Louis-based Mercy closed its hospital in El Reno, Okla., in April, but the community still has access to emergency care thanks to an agreement between SSM Health and the city.
In November, Mercy announced it was ending its lease of Mercy Hospital El Reno due to declining inpatient volumes, which caused financial losses. The hospital officially shut down April 30.
Before the hospital closed, the City of El Reno had already secured a new agreement to ensure local residents would continue to have access to emergency care. Under a lease agreement that took effect May 1, Oklahoma City-based SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital began operating the emergency department of the hospital in El Reno.
"SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital is pleased to have been selected by the City of El Reno to be the community's healthcare partner," SSM Health-Oklahoma President Joe Hodges said in a press release. "We look forward to expanding our ministry into El Reno and keeping important healthcare services within the community."
Since the facility no longer offers acute inpatient care, patients who need a higher level of care than the freestanding emergency department provides will be transferred to local hospitals.
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