Judge Approves Buyer For Prague Hospital

A promising prognosis for Prague Hospital. The town's mayor tells News 9 a federal judge has approved the sale of the hospital to a nonprofit out of Tulsa.

For the past year and a half, it's been touch and go for the ailing Prague hospital.  At one point employees weren't getting paid and community members had to donate food for patients. But the hospital's out of state management group, CAH Acquisitions, didn't want to give it up. So, the city sued to take over operations.

On Thursday, a bankruptcy judge awarded a Tulsa nonprofit called TULSA, the bid to buy the hospital.

“We’re pretty excited,” said Prague’s mayor Cliff Bryant.

Bryant said the deal will also allow Cohesive, a Shawnee company who was able to resuscitate the hospital, to continue operations. The mayor said since Cohesive has taken over the hospital has gone from sometimes zero patients a day to now as many as 16.

“We get to keep Cohesive and they get to work together so that’s great,” said Bryant.

The mayor said a husband and wife from Tulsa who are both doctors are behind the nonprofit that's buying the hospital, likely not only saving it but the lives of those who live nearby.

“In a small town, for the school system for the elderly and for everyone it’s important to get those first few moments for care. If we don’t we have to go 30 minutes at least,” said Bryant.

The mayor tells News 9 the official closing should happen before Valentine’s Day.