Employees of the now shuttered King’s Daughters Clinic in Temple claim the clinic could reopen in just a few weeks after its parent company filed for bankruptcy at the beginning of December.
Channel 6 can confirm that United States Bankruptcy Judge Ronald B. King signed an order allowing the owner of that clinic, and of other properties in the Little River Healthcare System, to sell the properties to Seton Healthcare Family, which is owned by Ascension Texas.
Ascension was not willing to comment on the sale Sunday, but did say a news release on the matter should be put out as early as Monday. Court documents suggest the sale is not final until January 1st, 2019.
Little River Healthcare, which operates several clinics in central Texas, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 24, according to court documents but requested that the case be converted to Chapter 7 on November 30.
Patients who showed up to the King’s Daughters Clinic in Temple on December 5th found the doors initially locked. Staff at the facility later told patients the clinic was shutting down. A phone call to the clinic was met with a message that said, "Due to an unfortunate turn of events, Little River Healthcare will be shutting its doors immediately."
As patients began looking for new doctors however, Facebook messages from Clinic staff hinted at a possible resolution. One message attributed to Dr. Elizabeth Mattson read:
"To those of you who are KDC patients, do not find a new Dr just yet. We are working on a plan that will keep the doctors and most staff intact and stay local. I should know something by next week.”
As patients collected records, staff made other mention of a deal in the works. Former patient Becky Wilson, who relies on the clinic to treat her family, told Channel 6 that the staff claimed there was a deal possible to open the clinic back up.
“I would say a couple weeks ago, when I went to get all my paperwork... they were upbeat about it and saying that hopefully if this deal goes through that they are going to be reopening.”
Then on December 27, another message came out on staff member Rebecca Riser's Facebook page:
"UPDATE: Court approved the purchase of KDC by ascension. Ascension is hoping to have of us up and running in our KDC clinic in the next 1-2 weeks. FYI my office door needs more Christmas pictures so I hope y’all have some left for me when I get back."
Wilson told Channel 6 she believes much of the staff would be staying at the clinic, but she hoped to hear something official from the company soon.
“These patients depend on their doctors, and for Ascension just to give something, some notice, some communication, is dire.”
Ascension Texas spokeswoman Kathleen Hadlock said the company may be able to release information about the clinic at some point today.