Facilitated meetings are still pending between Newman Regional Health and Stormont-Vail Health administrations.
The hospitals have agreed to an external presence at upcoming meetings as Stormont-Vail plans a better than $30 million medical facility in Emporia. Newman Regional Health responded by submitting several potential zoning code text changes for approval by the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission and Emporia City Commission, all designed to add extra layers of local oversight for outside medical entities while protecting the hospital’s financial interests to a degree.
Neither side has confirmed when facilitated meetings will start or whether the facilitated process has been accepted by both sides. City Manager Trey Cocking has declined comment as a way to respect the process — other than to say it could take two months or so for a resolution.
The Planning Commission moved Newman Regional’s proposal to the City Commission without any recommendation on how to proceed. City commissioners likely won’t take action until the mediation process is finished.
