The Silence About La Grange Hospital Opening Is Deafening

The doors to the La Grange hospital remain closed almost a year after a Mississippi- based company took it over with plans for a quick reopening.

Last week, the Record attempted to contact multiple representatives from Progressive Health Group for an update on the hospital. We have not heard back from them at the time of this publication.

Quentin Whitwell, CEO of Progressive Health Group (PHG) announced in Sept. of last year that his company planned to reopen the former St. Mark’s Medical Center in January or February of this year.

Then in January, PHG said licensing approvals were taking longer than expected. At the time, a representative from the company told the Record that the hospital would reopen as Progressive Health of Fayette in the spring, possibly in March.

As March arrived, the hospital was no closer to opening. At that time, a PHG representative cited continuing delays with licensing and inspection. In April, PHG announced that the hospital planned to reopen in June. When June arrived with no news of the reopening, the Record attempted to contact PHG. The company has not responded to our inquiries since that time.

Last September, Whitwell said his company would hire up 75 full-time staff and another 75 part-time workers. He said the facility would reopen as a rural emergency hospital, a designation that provides federal funding. Whitwell said the facility would focus mainly on emergency room services and outpatient care.

St. Mark’s Hospital closed in 2023 following years of financial struggles. St. Mark’s was unable to pay the mortgage, which was backed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The original principal on the loan was $24.2 million, and about $13 million was still owed at the time the hospital closed. The hospital property was sold at a federal auction in 2024. A private investment group, Green Jay Capital LLC, purchased the note for $806,000. The medical real estate company CoreGro purchased the property from Green Jay Capital for $4.18 million and leased it to PHG for 20 years.