Hutcheson Medical Center, which closed Dec. 4 after going into bankruptcy, will re-open soon.
The Fort Oglethorpe hospital with a 60-year tradition is now under the ownership of ValorBridge, which is affiliated with ApolloMD.
ValorBridge paid $4.2 million for the hospital, outpacing a $4 million offer from People's Choice of Chicago.
ApolloMD, based in Atlanta, has entered into a management of services agreement with Hutcheson Medical Center in anticipation of entering into an agreement to purchase the facility.
“We are excited to be part of the Fort Oglethorpe community and to work toward providing the best in patient care and service delivery,” said Mike Dolister, M.D., CEO of ApolloMD. “The opportunity to establish a partnership with a community who has fought to keep the doors of their hospital open is a challenge we look forward to facing.”
ApolloMD will be working on the strategic planning of the re-opening of the facility and will announce those details in the coming days, officials said.
“Our plan is to have the Emergency Department up and running in the next several days,” said Boykin Robinson, M.D., ApolloMD divisional president. “We are working diligently to address staffing and operational needs and should have more details as the week progresses.”
ApolloMD has been providing emergency physicians for Hutcheson Medical Center since June 2015.
Attorney Stuart James said, "On behalf of Walker County, Ga., and as the special counsel for Walker County working with Commissioner Bebe Heiskell and County Attorney Don Oliver, I am proud to report that Bebe is thrilled that Hutcheson Medical Center will be re-opened soon.
"Since Walker County asked me to represent it in this matter, I have worked closely with Don Oliver and Commissioner Heiskell, and we have shared a common goal - to get this hospital to remain open or to be re-opened so that it can provide much-needed healthcare to the residents of Walker County and North Georgia.
"We realize the importance of the hospital to our institutions of government (such as the sheriff's office) as well as to members of the community, and the lifesaving importance of delivering healthcare quickly and efficiently. We are sure that the hospital, now that is re-opened, will continue its tradition of providing quality healthcare to the residents of Walker County and North Georgia.
"We are happy that the citizens now have access to healthcare and that Hutcheson, North George's community hospital, is open for business."