The intensive care unit at an area hospital is closing.

Geary Community Hospital in Junction City says due to a national Covid-19 exacerbated nursing shortage, as well as fiscal situations beyond its control, it can no longer effectively operate its Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Officials say closing a unit of the hospital is not an easy decision and they understand how this impacts the community. Therefore, to ensure safe and quality care for patients currently in the ICU, it is the intent to conduct a deliberate and phased transition of closing the unit. The goal is to be officially closed no later than February 1st, 2022.

In the interim, we are coordinating with multiple hospitals in the state and region to identify available beds and facilitate required treatment for patients.

Unfortunately, this situation is not unique to GCH. These trends are being experienced by hospitals in the state, region, and nationwide. It is very important to note that GCH itself will remain open and continue to provide quality healthcare to our community. While some departments will be impacted, emergency care, critical support services, and clinics will remain available for patients. During this transition of services, they will make every effort to retain staff by reassigning employees to understaffed departments.

Questions regarding this information should be directed to the GCH administration team or the hospital Board of Trustees Chairwoman.