Future of planned Mexico hospital uncertain after Boone Health sale
MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ)
Boone Health CEO Brady Dubois announced Thursday that Ardent Health is purchasing Boone Health for $47 million, raising questions about the future of a planned hospital in Mexico, Missouri.
In 2024, the Audrain County Commission, Audrain County Health Department and Boone Health agreed to move forward with plans to build a new hospital in Mexico after the previous hospital closed, according to previous ABC 17 News reporting.
Mexico City Manager Bruce Slagle told ABC 17 News that Ardent Health informed him and other city officials that Mexico remains a “top regional priority.”
Ardent Health spokeswoman Rebecca Kirkham said the company shares Boone Health's interest in expanding access to care in the communities it serves, including Mexico.
“We will evaluate the best path forward as we move through the transition and strategic planning process,” Kirkham said in a statement.
Gigi Quinlan McAreavy, economic development director for the City of Mexico, said the city has a letter of intent signed by Boone Health, but nothing is final. McAreavy said Mexico is more than 35 miles from another hospital, making the proposed facility important for residents throughout the region.
“Not only would this hospital be important just for Mexico, it's important for this rural region,” McAreavy said.
She said residents who need emergency care must travel to the nearest emergency room in Columbia because ambulances cannot take patients to urgent care facilities.
“Time is sometimes life or death,” McAreavy said.
For area resident John Denver, the lack of a local hospital means traveling to Columbia when he needs medical care.
“It affects me because I have to go way to another ... to the hospital, you know, to get care,” Denver said.
Denver said the drive to Columbia takes nearly an hour. He said having a hospital nearby would make a difference for people who need emergency care or treatment outside regular business hours.
“So, yeah, we need a hospital,” Denver said.
McAreavy said the region's agricultural and manufacturing workforce, along with its aging population, makes access to local health care especially important.
She hopes the proposed hospital can still move forward and provide an example of how rural communities can restore access to health care.
