Boonville residents, who have been without the services of Pinnacle Regional Hospital since it closed Jan. 15, may soon have two medical facilities to choose from.

University of Missouri Health Care announced Thursday that it plans to open a clinic in Boonville after it hired former Pinnacle staff.

Pinnacle Healthcare System, which is based out of Overland Park, Kansas, also announced Thursday that it plans to re-open the Boonville hospital after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

MU Health hired family medicine doctors Mona Brownfield and Robert Koch, family nurse practitioner Lori Weekley and physical therapist Jennifer Hackman, who is already seeing patients Mizzou Therapy Services in Boonville. All are former Pinnacle employees, according to a MU Health news release.

“These are providers that have been working in the Boonville community and our intent is to keep them in the Boonville community,” said MU Health Public Relations Manager Jesslyn Chew.

Officials at MU Health are still working to find clinic space in Boonville, but the family practitioners will soon be able to see patients at MU Family Medicine in Fayette, Chew said.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll have more details on timing and how to schedule appointments with those providers in the coming weeks,” Chew said.

More information about healthcare in Boonville came out Thursday when Pinnacle Healthcare System CEO Joe Conigliaro announced in a statement that the company plans to re-open the Pinnacle Regional Hospital, the Associated Press reported.

The hospital closed Jan. 15 after the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services found that the facility’s sterilization room did not have the correct humidity, temperature and pressure, which caused the hospital to stop performing surgeries in early January.

If the hospital had chosen continue performing surgeries, it would have had to rent a mobile sterilization unit, which would have cost $300,000 for a two-month rental.

Pinnacle filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday. The company has estimated liabilities between $10- and $50 million and and estimated 200 to 999 creditors, court documents state. The filing will allow the company to reorganize its finances and pay its creditors over time.

Since closing the Boonville hospital, two lawsuits have been filed against Pinnacle, including a class-action lawsuit filed by former Pinnacle employees alleging that the company wrongfully retained employee funds that had been marked for health insurance premium payments.

Pinnacle is also being sued by Abbott Laboratories Inc. in Clayton for $190,000 for unpaid goods and service, court documents state.

Calls seeking comment from Pinnacle Healthcare officials were not immediately returned at press time.

ecliburn@moberlymonitor.com