Gulf Coast Medical Center in Wharton, Texas, is in the process of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to a KTRK news report.
Hospital Chief Restructuring Officer Alan Tuft told KTRK the bankruptcy process is moving slower than expected, but the proceedings could be done in the next 30 days.
As the hospital restructures its debt, its emergency room is only taking walk-ins and ambulances are being diverted to nearby facilities. John Kowalik, Wharton emergency services director, told KTRK patients are being diverted about 30 miles away to El Campo (Texas) Memorial Hospital or about 15 miles away to Oak Bend Medical Center in Richmond, Texas.
Southwest Healthcare in Scottsdale, Ariz., purchased Gulf Coast Medical Center in 2012.
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