By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

At an open house Tuesday, Hillsboro Community Hospital showcased its improvement since being put into receivership in January.

“We’re doing well,” said Margaret Grisner, acting CEO of the hospital under Cohesive Healthcare Management and Consulting. “We’ve had several weeks of holding our own.”

Emergency room services, formerly shut down because the hospital laboratory lacked adequate supplies to perform necessary tests, are now available, Grisner said. Ambulances stopped being diverted from HCH on Feb. 10.

Surgery also has been returned to the hospital’s list of services. Anne Dierking is operating room and specialty clinic director.

Mortgage holder Bank of Hays, which filed a foreclosure lawsuit in January, and the city of Hillsboro said they would try to find a buyer after Cohesive was appointed receiver.

“We’ve had several people inquire, and the trustee and bankruptcy court are evaluating them,” Grisner said.

Brent King, bankruptcy trustee, declined to say how many companies had inquired.

Grisner said the 15-bed hospital was busy.

Physician services are being provided through FreeState, based in Wichita, which offers both telemedicine and some in-person staffing.

Physician Elisha Yaghmai, president of FreeState, was at the open house to greet visitors.

Yaghmai said FreeState initially provided only telemedicine services but then added nurse practitioners. Soon to come are family physicians and internal medicine physicians.

On-site practitioners are hoped be at Hillsboro before the end of summer, Yaghmai said.

Yaghmai said FreeState was working to recruit physicians for Hillsboro. An internal medicine physician may soon be sent a contract, and three other candidates are talking to FreeState, he said.

“What we’d like to do is have a physician in person nearly every day,” Yaghmai said.

Nurse practitioner Jeanette Weiser works in the emergency department and medical clinic, typically Friday through Monday. Josh Smith and Jessica Eubanks see patients as well, Weiser said.