This story was updated on April 28 to reflect that the hospital leased space from Research Hospital.
Select Specialty Hospital-Western Missouri, a long-term acute care facility that leases space from Research Hospital on East Meyer Boulevard in Kansas City, is closing its doors and laying off 105 employees.
The hospital announced the closure in a notice to the state of Missouri under the Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification Act. According to the notice, employees losing their jobs include nurses, nursing assistants, physical therapists, respiratory therapists and other personnel.
Hospital CEO Brent Hanson did not return phone calls seeking comment on why the hospital is closing.
The 34-bed hospital is owned by Select Medical Corp., a publicly traded company based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Select Medical operates more than 100 long-term acute care hospitals in the United States as well as hundreds of rehabilitation and occupational therapy clinics. The company projects it will generate $5 billion in revenues this year.
In a statement, Select Medical said it was closing the hospital for “business reasons.” Melissa Fox, a spokeswoman for Select Medical, declined to elaborate.
The hospital, which leases space on the third floor of Research Hospital but is independently managed, had about $49 million in total patient revenue and 273 patient discharges last year, according to the American Hospital Directory. The hospital has a sister facility in Kansas City, Kansas – Select Specialty Hospital Kansas City – that remains open.
Select Specialty Hospital-Western Missouri is the second long-term acute care facility in Kansas City to close recently. Kindred Hospitals East, on 87th Street and Troost Avenue, closed a few months ago as part of a restructuring effort by its parent company, Louisville-based Kindred Healthcare. That hospital had 167 licensed beds.
Long-term acute care hospitals specialize in the treatment of patients with serious medical conditions requiring extended hospitalization. Patients typically have been discharged from intensive care units and require more care than is available at skilled nursing or rehabilitation facilities.
Correction: A photo that ran with an earlier version of this story showed a different facility owned by Select Medical Corp.
Dan Margolies is a senior reporter and editor for KCUR. You can reach him on Twitter @DanMargolies.
