During KVOE’s Candidate Forum involving the Lyon County Commission Second District on Tuesday, Republican Doug Peck and Democrat Ron McCoy discussed the county’s role in negotiations between Newman Regional Health and Stormont Vail — specifically, work towards extending the current lease for Stormont’s Cotton O’Neil Clinic inside Newman Regional. Stormont has confirmed those conversations have borne fruit.
Stormont has emailed KVOE News a short statement saying the hospitals have reached an agreement to continue the current lease, which expires February 2027, beyond then if that step is needed. Newman Regional Health has not made an announcement and it has not commented on Stormont’s brief statement, but KVOE News has been told a statement may be released by the end of the week.
The Stormont statement does not indicate how this agreement connects to its ongoing work to build a $44 million facility near Roads 180 and G, although it says hospital leaders have had a chance to speak individually with Lyon County commissioners about its better than 30 years of service to the Emporia area and its plans for a new location. It also does not mention whether facilities, which Stormont says were too small and outdated when its plans for a standalone medical facility went public almost a year ago, will be upgraded as part of the lease extension.
Earlier this year, Stormont said it would not include surgery in a new facility. It plans to include its other current services at the Cotton O’Neil Clinic, including family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, behavioral health, a range of medical specialty clinics and diagnostic services. Newman Regional Health has been bracing for losses of up to $2 million per year with imaging alone if Stormont builds a standalone medical center.
Emporia city leaders have said an expected annexation request from Stormont would be considered on its own merits if the two hospital systems could not reach an agreement or demonstrate progress towards an accord. So far, that annexation request has not been filed.
