Leavenworth hospital closing because of coronavirus costs

The owners of Saint Luke’s Cushing Hospital in Leavenworth said the hospital will close this fall because of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Saint Luke’s inpatient unit will close July 17 and the rest of the hospital will close Oct. 1. About 70 employees at the hospital will be able to apply for other positions in the Saint Luke’s Health System. Hospital CEO Adele Ducharme said in a news release Tuesday the hospital transitioned to emergency services last year to make it financially viable but was only a few months into the effort when the costs of the virus pandemic hit.