After the December closure of Clinton (Okla.) Regional Hospital, residents are placing their hopes of renewed medical services on a March 7 special election, Oklahoma Watch reported Feb. 1.
When Alliance Health, the hospital's former operator, decided to close the hospital, it opted to cancel the license rather than transferring it to a new owner. In order to reopen the hospital, the city must apply for a license as a new facility, which will require millions of dollars in renovations.
In 1997, Clinton voters set aside $6 million for hospital-related emergencies, and with interest that fund has grown to $11.3 million. The special election will ask voters to determine if the fund is used for hospital renovations and reopening.
Currently, 28 percent of Oklahoma's rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closure.