FORT SCOTT, Kan. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan) paid an impromptu visit to Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc. Friday morning, roughly 24 hours after the facility’s long-awaited public opening in Fort Scott.

Calling the facility “impressive,” Moran – the long-time advocate for rural health care in Kansas – was given a brief tour of the six-bed emergency department and 10-bed acute care hospital by Freeman’s Chief Executive Officer of Rural Hospitals Renee Denton and Anita Walden, Chief Administrative Officer at Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc.

“There was this email about ‘something exciting happened in Fort Scott today,” Moran said, following a plane flight from Washington D.C. He immediately reached out to Freeman officials, asking if he could visit the new hospital.

During its first full day of operation, Freeman Health System’s newest hospital recorded seven patients at the ED, including one patient in need of immediate cardiac intervention that was sent urgently to Freeman Hospital West in Joplin.

Moran learned details about the hospital while shaking hands with Freeman nurses and the hospital’s Medical Director, Dr. Mark Brown, inside the emergency department.

“I’m here to see what you do on day two,” the Senator said. “I appreciate your passion, and I wish you all the best.”

Making certain Kansas residents have easy access to affordable, quality health care has been one of the Senator’s core beliefs. He has spoken extensively in the past about the challenges facing rural hospitals in Kansas, citing the closure of facilities across the Sunflower state. He’s publicly supported Freeman’s efforts to reopen the city’s emergency department and establish the 10-bed acute medical center for Fort Scott and Bourbon County residents to utilize.

During his visit, Moran pledged to help expedite the process concerning the hospital’s upcoming credentialing survey conducted by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officials.

“His desire to be on site day two not only shows his support, but his continued commitment was evident with his offer to assist however he can to expedite the CMS survey process to receive our CMS certification,” Denton said, including a letter of support in favor of the Freeman Fort Scott hospital to CMS officials. “That will be our final hurdle.”

Moran also pledged to look into the time-consuming process Missouri-based Freeman physicians must undergo to receive their required licensure to practice medicine in Kansas.

Having worked closely with Moran, via email and Zoom meetings, for many months, “I can tell you he is very passionate about affordable healthcare and making sure all rural communities have access to it,” Walden said.

For more information about Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc. – located at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd. – and the services offered, visit freemanhealth.com.