Amory hospital sale finalized

Published 3:44 pm Monday, January 7, 2019

AMORY (AP) — A hospital is changing hands in northern Mississippi after its previous owner filed for bankruptcy. Gilmore Memorial Hospital in Amory became part of North Mississippi Health Services on Tuesday. The new name is North Mississippi Medical Center Gilmore-Amory.

Curae Health sold Gilmore to the Tupelo-based system, finalizing the deal Friday, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported.

Officials previously said North Mississippi Health Services expected to pay $14.2 million to acquire the land, plant, property and equipment. It was to assume a $3.3 million lease on the medical office building.

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Curae Health filed for bankruptcy in August, citing financial challenges from government funding cuts, unfunded care mandates and other pressures. It announced it would sell hospitals in Amory, Batesville and Clarksdale, Mississippi. According to court filings, three hospitals had $96 million in liabilities.

Gilmore was founded in 1916. It was a private, not-for-profit, locally owned hospital until 2005, when directors sold it to Florida-based Health Management Associates. The 95-bed hospital then became part of Community Health Systems under a 2014 merger with Health Management Associates.

Curae Health purchased Gilmore and the Batesville hospital from Community Health Systems in May 2017 and returned the hospital to nonprofit status. It purchased the Clarksdale hospital in November 2017.