STILWELL, Okla. — The Stilwell community was concerned that their only hospital in town, Memorial Hospital, was closing, leaving people uncertain about what to do in the event of an emergency. Mayor Jean Ann announced the closure in a statement on June 20.
2 News spoke with Natalie White, a Stilwell resident who was on her way to the hospital.
"It's for me, it's for my family, and for everybody else that can come here… It's not good," said White.
White was worried about driving too far to the hospital because of her concussion.
"I'm having to bother somebody to come out their way to take me 30 minutes out of the way to go to the hospital, and for people around here, it's not good," said White.
2 News visited Memorial Hospital and attempted to contact staff there, seeking a reason for the closure. However, as of June 27, there was no response.
Corky Eddings, who also lives in Stilwell, also said he's worried about his family,
"My mom sometimes has to go down here too, so it's terrible," said Eddings.
Charles Boecher is the District 1 county commissioner and chairman of the Adair County EMS board. He said the hospital's closing is devastating for the community.
"Our guys are wondering what that means? What does that mean if we don't have that hospital and or that ER up and running," said Boecher.
2 News asked Boecher what's next for the city and if there will be another hospital.
"I feel relatively confident that we'll continue to have a hospital, it's just going to take some work by some motivated people to do that," said Boecher.
Boecher told 2 News the full closure date isn't set in stone yet. However, he said the ER portion could close at 7 pm on June 27.
Memorial Hospital posted this statement, asking people to have their ID to request medical records. They said that if you're requesting on someone else's behalf, you must have the necessary documents, such as legal guardian paperwork. White said she wants another closer hospital.
"It would really mean a lot to all of us, to me, and to everybody else around here, it would mean a lot to get a hospital here," said White.
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