After a 10 month closure, Clinton (Okla.) Regional Hospital has reopened its doors under new management, local news outlet NonDoc reported Oct. 30.
The hospital began taking patients again Oct. 30, reopening its emergency room, laboratory and radiology services. More services — including outpatient surgery, a sleep lab and therapy services — are expected to launch in 2024, according to the hospital's CEO Len Lacefield.
Clinton Regional is operating at less than half its former capacity, with 22 beds and 29 employees rather than 56 beds and 200 employees. Mr. Lacefield expects the 93,000-square-foot hospital to be surveyed by an accrediting organization in late November to reinstate its credentialing with CMS.
When AllianceHealth, the hospital's most recent operator, closed the facility Dec. 31, it terminated the licenses rather than passing them to the city as past operators had done. To reapply for a new license, the city had to spend millions of dollars to upgrade the nearly 50-year-old hospital and replace equipment AllianceHealth took when it left.
In March, Clinton residents voted to tap into a fund the city had set aside for "long-term needs." The fund originally contained $6 million, but had grown to $11.6 million after accruing interest for decades.
The Clinton Hospital Authority — now mainly composed by members of a hospital advisory board instead of city council members — is now managing the hospital. About $6 million still remains in the city's hospital fund, which can be used to support redevelopment of revenue streams, per Mr. Lacefield.