Ascension Via Christi has acquired a closed hospital near Wichita, Kansas, and has named the facility's president. The health system plans to reopen the hospital next summer.
The former Rock Regional Hospital in Derby, Kansas, which is about 10 miles south of Wichita, will become part of the Ascension Via Christi system that includes six hospitals and a network of other healthcare facilities across Kansas.
According to an article in Becker's Hospital Review, Rock Regional Hospital was a 30-bed facility that opened in 2019. The facility operated under financial strain and faced multiple eviction notices before filing for bankruptcy protection last December. It closed in January after a federal judge allowed its eviction to proceed.
Ascension Via Christi has renamed the facility Ascension Via Christi St. Peter. The health system said it chose the name in honor of St. Peter the Apostle, whose name translates to "rock." Ascension Via Christi said this name reflects Via Christi's "commitment to providing a solid, stable foundation of high-quality healthcare services for the region."
The release said Via Christi must complete a significant amount of "foundational integration work" before the facility can safely open its doors. This work includes updating the physical property, transitioning the facility to more advanced medical equipment, and integrating the campus into the broader Via Christi health system. The system anticipates a summer 2027 opening. Additional details, including the financial specifics of the acquisition and property renovation, are unavailable at this time, said a Via Christi representative.
In the release, Via Christi Chief Strategy Officer Christopher Dodson said, "We are encouraged by the opportunity to re-establish care in a way that is sustainable and responsive to community needs."
In another release, Via Christi said it has named Linsey Coster president of Ascension Via Christi St. Peter, effective Sept. 13. She has more than two decades of healthcare, operational and mission-driven leadership experience, the release said. She has worked at Via Christi hospitals since 2015, most recently as chief operating officer of Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph of Wichita.
Derby, Kansas, has a population of more than 26,000. Its website says the population has doubled in the past three decades. It is one of the top 10 fastest-growing cities in Kansas, the site says.