Nicholas County Hospital, an 18-bed critical access hospital in Carlisle, Ky., will file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and close its doors by the end of this week, according to a Lexington Herald-Leader report.
John Mathers Health Care operates the hospital as well as a nursing home, which will not be affected, according to the report. As a result of the hospital's closure, 84 full- and part-time employees will be laid off.
The board issued a news release, which stated Nicholas County Hospital couldn't compete with the "larger, urban-centered hospitals."
"Over the past months, the board members have been in almost daily contact exploring every possible option to keep the hospital open; however, when the financial situation reached a point that the hospital could no longer continue operating in accordance with its mission statement without jeopardizing patient safety, the board members had no other choice than filing for bankruptcy," the statement read.
There have been more than 10 hospital closures and bankruptcy filings so far this year. Many of the hospital closures have involved facilities in rural areas.
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