Bethany has year to find new hospital operator

Thursday, December 2nd 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Bethany-AP) -- The city of Bethany has gotten a reprieve for its hospital. The state Health Department has approved a request to suspend the operating license of Bethany General Hospital until December 31st, 2000. That gives the city a year to find a new operator without losing the hospital's license.

The operating license was to expire at the end of the year. If the license had been allowed to expire, the hospital would have to be upgraded to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. That would have to be done before the hospital could reopen. The hospital was set to close at midnight Wednesday when Integris Baptist Healthcare officially stopped running it. The hospital has been in financial trouble.