HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Theresa Nichol and Darrell Gustafson with the Save Jennie Stuart group spoke at Hopkinsville Rotary Club on Oct. 22. They shared their mission of urging Jennie Stuart’s Board of Trustees to slow down and reconsider the process of the hospital’s merger with Deaconess Health. “A decision to no longer have local control is one forever,” said Nichol. “We can never go back.”
The plan to merge with Deaconess was made public in September 2024 when officials from Jennie Stuart announced that they signed a non-binding letter of intent with Deaconess, a non-profit healthcare system based in Indiana. From the announcement, Save Jennie Stuart was born. Organizers include several members of the Jennie Stuart Board of Trustees, along with former hospital employees and former government officials.
In response to the formation of Save Jennie Stuart, JSMC wrote a letter to the City of Hopkinsville that was publicly shared during a Committee of the Whole meeting. The full letter can be found on the city’s website. “We are being proactive, taking action to strengthen our organization. This is about how Jennie Stuart can have the greatest impact not just tomorrow but over our next 100 years. Our proposed affiliation with Deaconess would focus on opportunities to enhance the quality of care, while creating a supportive and engaging environment for our employees,” writes Leslie Carroll, Chair Board of Trustees.
Software issues, main concerns
Nichol explained to Rotary Club members that the merger was announced after Jennie Stuart Health was experiencing software issues that has caused the hospital to hemorrhage money. “Why are we moving from a software issue problem to a takeover of the hospital,” she asked. “There are hospitals out there that can help us with this issue.”
Gustafson said Jennie Stuart reportedly attempted to form partnerships with healthcare systems that used a better software called Epic Systems. However, the idea fell through which is when the hospital decided to go with a merger. “We’re just asking the board to pause this, because this is forever. Once we lose our community hospital, we can’t ever get it back,” said Nichol.
The Save Jennie Stuart group further explained concerns that Deaconess could later be acquired by a for-profit entity, and the merger could impact healthcare in the community tremendously. “When we give up this hospital, we are giving up the future of healthcare in Hopkinsville and Christian County,” said Gustafson during the meeting.
Although Deaconess has expressed there would be a local board of members from the community, Nichol is concerned that the board would have no control over anything including strategic planning. Many community leaders with the group also believe the merger is happening too fast and are worried about job consolidations and lack of good healthcare once the takeover is complete.
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