FORT SCOTT — Freeman Health Systems announced Tuesday that it likely will not be until fall until the former Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott will be open for business, according to the Parsons Morning Sun.
Fort Scott’s hospital closed in 2018. In 2021, the town lost its emergency department, operated by Ascension Via Christi.
Freeman Health Systems took over the abandoned facility in June 2024, with plans to open a 10-bed hospital, including an emergency room, this spring.
RENOVATIONS TO the Freeman Fort Scott Hospital are “progressing smoothly,” said Renee Denton, chief operating officer of the Freeman Hospital in Neosho, Mo.
“I think it’s important for us to remember that the previous hospital operations and facility met required codes during that time frame,” Denton said. “The Kansas Department of Health and Environment requires that we open the facility according to current regulatory codes. Until we were able to begin the renovations, we were not able to lay eyes on every element that the state would require. Because of that, there are significant changes that need to occur to make certain that we update to the most current safety regulations.”
Matt Fry, Freeman’s new president and CEO, reiterated the health system’s commitment to the project.
“We are 100 percent committed to getting that hospital up and going,” he said.
Following a recent job fair, the hospital hired 39 new employees.
