Flagstaff City Council chambers were packed Tuesday evening as city leaders voted to move forward with the first phase of Northern Arizona Healthcare’s proposed new hospital campus.
The imaging group is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and unaffiliated with the private equity-backed multispecialty group that filed for bankruptcy protection on May 15. HCA’s Florida Capital Hospital and Envision have teamed to open a $3.5 million, 10,000 square-foot imaging center in Tallahassee.
According to a recent Kaiser Institute survey, 24% of adults surveyed said they currently have medical or dental debt they’re unable to pay off. The situation is even worse for uninsured Americans, who often use personal loans or credit cards, which can have interest rates upwards of 20 percent, to finance their expenses.
St. Margaret's Health President & CEO Tim Muntz says if emergency funding isn't received from the state, 'St. Margaret's may need to consider curtailing hospital operations, or even closing, as early as Friday, June 16th.'
Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital will decide whether or not to file a Chapter 9 bankruptcy case at the next San Benito Health Care District board meeting on May 22, at 5 PM.