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Haleyville's Lakeland Community Hospital to close its doors

Lakeland Community Hospital, a fixture in Winston County for decades, will close its doors on December 31, 2017.

A spokesperson with Curae Health confirmed the closing of the Haleyville facility. Lakeland Community Hospital is one of five hospitals owned by the non-profit rural healthcare company Curae Health. 

Curae also owns Russellville Hospital, Northwest Medical Center in Winfield, and two Mississippi hospitals, Gilmore Memorial Hospital in Amory and Panola Medical Center in Batesville.

The spokesperson said the Haleyville closing would not affect the operations of Russellville Hospital.  The Medical Detox program at Lakeland will be transferred to Russellville Hospital. Other services or departments may be combined or transferred depending on regulatory requirements.

The  Franklin Free Press  spoke with a Lakeland employee who said he received an email Friday informing him of the December 31st closing.

Curae purchased the Haleyville, Russellville and Winfield facilities from LifePoint in November 2014. The hospitals officially became part of the Curae family on December 31, 2014.

  Lakeland Community Hospital is a 59-bed facility and the only hospital serving Winston County.

In a Friday news release, a Curae spokesperson said reduced reimbursements from the government as well as commercial insurers have “taken a tremendous toll on rural hospitals across the nation.”

Lakeland Community Hospital was on track to have reimbursements reduced by nearly $2 million dollars and this financial loss made it impossible for Curae to continue to operate the facility at a deficit.

“Our team explored every viable option to avoid closing the hospital,” said Debbie Pace, CEO of Lakeland Community Hospital. “Unfortunately, as with many other rural healthcare facilities in the southeast, we are unable to continue operations due to drastic reductions in reimbursement. I want to thank the Lakeland hospital staff, physicians and board for their dedication and service to the community.”

The closing will affect 87 employees. Curae said Lakeland employees would be given priority to fill open positions at other area hospitals in the network and employees will be assisted in identifying other healthcare entities in the area that are looking to hire.

 

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