Ascension Via Christi has announced an agreement with the city council in Wellington to take over emergency room operations for a hospital that closed in March.
Sumner Community Hospital closed on March 11th, leaving Wellington and surrounding communities without an emergency room. Wellington officials began looking for options and talked with Ascension Via Christi about restoring services.
The agreement is similar to one that Ascension Via Christi had worked out with Fort Scott to reopen an emergency room last year. The ER will reopen in early 2021 at the building used by Sumner Community Hospital. The main entrance will be the point of entry for all patients except those arriving by EMS. The ER will have four exam rooms and a triage area, plus a trauma room just inside the EMS entrance. There will be limited on-site imaging, along with a laboratory and a hospital pharmacy.
The Wellington city council has approved $700,000 in capital improvements needed to renovate the space for the ER and support services. Ascension Via Christi will purchase the furniture, equipment, fixtures and signage.
The Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department will serve as a department of Ascension Via Christi Hospitals Wichita, Inc.
