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Jacksonville mayor continues search for replacement hospital

Jacksonville has been without a hospital for three weeks, which has put a lot of people in a tough place.

JACKSONVILLE, Arkansas — Jacksonville has been without a hospital for three weeks now, and the Jacksonville Fire Department has to take EMS resources people rely on out of town.

Jacksonville Mayor Bob Johnson said the search for a hospital hasn’t been an easy one, and it’s putting a lot of people in a tough place.

RELATED: North Metro Medical Center in Jacksonville closes its doors

“Three important things to a community: good healthcare, education, and quality of life,” Johnson said.

Mayor Johnson said August 21 was a scary day.

“I start getting pictures from citizens and council members of black plastic bags being put over hospital signs,” Johnson said.

Since learning the community's only emergency room at the North Metro Medical Center shut down three weeks ago, he’s been searching for a replacement.

“It is such an emotional roller coaster thinking I’m going to ink a deal, two weeks later, I haven’t inked that deal,” Johnson said.

He said he’s asked all the big-name facilities to set up shop in the vacant emergency department and expects to have an answer in a few days.

“A town this size needs an emergency room, but they also need a name they can trust,” Johnson said.

The fire department said every call to 9-1-1 means sending one of their three ambulances out of town.

Since the emergency department closed, 249 people have been transported to a neighboring facility.

Mayor Johnson said the community needs a provider that can provide a range of services, especially for their biggest employer.

“I need an emergency room because we have an air force base here. And I need, if somebody's working out there and they need stitches or something happens, they need to get to a place and get fixed. They need an x-ray to get that done,” Johnson said.

He said a hospital is interested in opening another facility there, but nothing is definite.

“Other options would be to build a free-standing E.D., emergency department, and with a micro-hospital attached to it for outpatient surgeries and things like that,” Johnson said.

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He’s just hoping the community doesn’t have to wait much longer.

“I have two hospitals and we’re doing some serious dents,” Johnson said.

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