New La Grange Hospital CEO Announces Name Change, Reopening Date

Progressive Health Group CEO Quentin Whitwell along with others from his company came to La Grange this week to begin reopening the former St. Mark’s Medical Center (SMMC).

SMMC closed in October 2023 after the hospital was unable to pay its mortgage. Progressive Health Group (PHG), based out of Mississippi, bought the property after the loan backer foreclosed on the property. Whitwell met with the Record on Wednesday and said his company plans to reopen the hospital in January or early February 2026 under a new name – Progressive Health of Fayette.

“Initially, we’ll have the emergency room back open, pharmacy, laboratory, all the imaging,” Whitwell said.

Whitwell said PHG plans to convert the old birth- ing center into a rural health clinic – essentially a primary care doctor’s office within the hospital. The clinic will offer wound care services, physical therapy and intensive outpatient therapy.

“And then we’re going to look and see what the inpatient side looks like, whether part of that needs to be for the hospital or if we want to provide separate services like mental health or other kinds of inpatient services,” he said.

Whitwell said Progressive plans to employ up to 75 full time staff and up to another 75 part-time once the hospital is open. The building requires a new roof and air conditioning equipment. Other than that, he said the building itself is in fairly good shape.

“Cosmetically, it looks good,” he said. “It just needs to get cleaned up.”

Look for more in Tuesday’s paper.