What Will The Future Hold For Gilmore Memorial Hospital

AMORY, Miss. (WCBI)- What does the future entail for Gilmore Memorial Hospital?

It’s a question many Amory residents are asking as the hospital is set to be sold next month.

For the past several decades Gilmore Memorial Hospital has been a staple in the Amory community, just ask District 7 Senator Hob Bryan who’s a life-long resident.

“It means everything to Amory to continue to have the medical community that we have,” said Bryan. “It means everything to the people around here to be able to get medical care close to home.”

Bryan said he wants to see the hospital stay under local control.

“My concern is that if the hospital in Amory is owned by the Tupelo hospital, over the years services will migrate from Amory to Tupelo and we will be on a downward spiral,” Bryan expressed.

Curae Health currently owns the hospital, however, financial problems are now forcing the hospital to sell.

North Mississippi Health Services has placed a $15 million bid to buy Gilmore.

The proposal raises several concerns for some residents, including the loss of some specialized services.

“There’s a neonatal intensive care unit in Tupelo, so we would be relying on a hospital which has its own NICU to maintain our NICU 25 miles away,” said Bryan. “I’m concerned about the long-term ramifications of that.”

So far, North Mississippi Health Services is the only company to place a bid for the hospital.

However, Bryan said another bidder could potentially be added into the mix.

“One possibility is for a group of individuals in Amory, with the support of the community, to form a non-profit corporation to have that corporation purchase the hospital out of the bankruptcy court, and then contract with the Baptist Hospital system to operate the hospital in Amory, at least initially,” he said.

According to NMHS CEO Shane Spees, providing quality healthcare to its patients will be one of the company’s top goals.

“We have an appreciation for the excellent medical staff and team at Gilmore Memorial Hospital and respect the significant community need they meet as the local healthcare provider,” said Spees “Therefore, we hope for success through the bankruptcy process and look forward to teaming up with Gilmore to bring long-term stability to healthcare in Monroe County and surrounding areas. ”

All potential bidders must submit their bids to bankruptcy court by November 12th.

If no other bids are placed, then the hospital will be sold to NMHS by default.

Gilmore is set to be auctioned off on November 15th.