Paperwork for sale of I-70 Medical Center to HMC/CAH finalized

The final "i" has been dotted, the final "t" crossed, and so the sale of I-70 Medical Center in Sweet Springs to HMC/CAH Consolidated of Kansas City is complete as of Friday, Feb. 27, according to a news release from the hospital.

The sale was initiated in July 2008, when the hospital board of directors, in a split vote, opted to accept HMC's offer for the hospital.

Because the hospital was a not-for-profit corporation, however, the Missouri Attorney General's office stepped in to review the terms of the sale, and the review process took several months to complete.

Attorney General Chris Koster gave the sale the green light Feb. 2.

According to the news release, HMC/CAH will provide a cash infusion of $750,000 into general hospital operations as a condition of the sale, as well as contribute an additional $250,000 to a new foundation that offers medical scholarships for local students interested in a healthcare profession.

"As part of our vision to become the healthcare choice for the people in this region the hospital will begin groundbreaking on a new Sweet Springs I-70 Family Clinic building," said hospital spokesman James Noble.

"The new clinic will be attached to the north side of the hospital and will provide much needed space for our growing physician practice," he said.

The new expansion will provide offices and exam rooms for as many as three primary care providers as well as space for additional outpatient specialty clinics, he said.

"Exciting times for the communities and hospital lie just ahead," Noble said.

The hospital has recently opened the new Concordia I-70 Family Clinic on a part-time basis, and with the commitment of Dr. Jon Mattson, formerly of Moberly, will be holding a grand opening for the operation of a full-time Concordia Clinic on April 1.

The hospital plans to open the Alma I-70 Family Clinic within the next 18 months.

"All of this would not have been possible without the support of friends, neighbors and family members to whom the hospital owes so much," Noble said.

The sale was not without critics, including several members of the board of directors, several of whom said the hospital's financial situation was not severe enough to warrant the sale.

There was concern about the speed with which the negotiations for the sale were conducted.

But at a public hearing called by the attorney general's office, most people supported the sale if it would insure the hospital's long-term viability.

"We've already lost one hospital. It's more painful than anybody wants to remember," Connie Dohrman said at the hearing in August, referring to the closure of Community Hospital in 1992.

Contact Eric Crump at marshalleditor@socket.net

Related stories:
Koster gives green light to I-70 Medical Center sale:
www.marshallnews.com/story/1498414.html
Support for I-70 Medical Center strong, but opinions divided about proposed sale:
www.marshallnews.com/story/1454915.html
I-70 Medical Center sold to HMC/CAH:
www.marshallnews.com/story/1449224.html