FORT SCOTT — Fort Scott once again has a hospital.
Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc., opened its doors Sept. 4, giving the community a full-service hospital for the first time since 2018. The facility includes a six-bed 24/7 emergency department and a 10-bed acute care hospital.
Freeman announced in June 2024 it planned to reopen in the old Mercy building. Months of renovations to the structure followed, culminating in the recent completion of the Kansas Licensure Survey.
Now, attention turns to passing a credentialing survey conducted by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officials, according to fortscott.biz, an online news platform.
The opening also sparked a recent discussion among Bourbon County commissioners as to whether Freeman would consider taking over the county’s ambulance service.
Commissioner Mika Milburn-Key said at the commission’s Sept. 8 meeting that Freeman was open to discussing the matter after she broached the topic with administrators, the Fort Scott Tribune reported.
MIlburn-Key cited potential budget savings for the county as the impetus.
Other commissioners urged caution.
“First, Freeman Fort Scott just opened last week, so to have this discussion is kind of premature,” Commissioner David Beerbower said, according to the Tribune. “They have a lot on their plate to take care of before we should even have this discussion. The opening of the hospital is a great achievement for this county.”
Bourbon County’s ambulances were operated by Mercy until the hospital closed its doors in 2018, at which time the county took over the service, the newspaper reported. Only an emergency room remained at the facility until it, too, closed in 2023.
Commissioners discussed waiting until next year to discuss the subject again, which also would be after the upcoming November election, when the commission’s makeup may change.
Fellow commissioner Sam Tran said he would like to see how the budgeting impact would affect the county, the Tribune reported.
Changes in the EMS contract also would require approval from Fort Scott city officials, who formerly had an agreement with Mercy, and now have one with the county, the Tribune said.
