The county owned hospital in Scott Co. closed yesterday, leaving residents in the area more than an hour away from hospital and emergency medical services. 200 employees lost their jobs in the county with the state's highest unemployment.

Health Management Associates had been operating the hospital after inheriting the contract when they took over the non-profit Mercy/St. Mary's hospitals. According to news reports, HMA and the county were unable to find another operator to take over and allowed the contract and lease to expire.

Which is puzzling, because HMA's business model (at the time of the St. Mary's takeover) was to "acquire underperforming non-urban general acute care hospitals that are available at a reasonable price" that can become "the sole or preferred provider of health care services in their respective markets." Their annual report stated that their business is to operate "general acute care hospitals and other health care facilities in non-urban communities."

St. Mary's in Knoxville is hardly a non-urban health care facility. St. Mary's Scott Co. would seem to qualify. Apparently the profits just aren't there, or perhaps HMA isn't competent enough to make it work.