Hutcheson Hospital has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since last November and it's beginning to look like the Ft Oglethorpe based hospital will no longer exist, at least in its present state.

A hearing was recently held in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Rome, to determine whether or not the hospital could sell one of its assets – Parkside Nursing Home.  The main sticking point is the fact that the hospital is currently involved in a lawsuit with Erlanger Health System, and Erlanger's attorney's are requesting that the sale be denied with Hutcheson's assets instead being auctioned. 

Attorneys for those owned money, other than Erlanger have expressed support for the sale, saying that the facility operates on at least a break-even basis, and that New Beginnings has offered $7 million for the operation.

At this point, Hutcheson has effectively shut down with all of its clinics already being closed and only the ER service still open; currently there are only a dozen or so patients remaining

On October 30th in Atlanta a hearing will be conducted regarding the proposed auction and the adversarial filings of attorneys for either side.

For more in-depth coverage on this story, visit the website of the Walker County Messenger