Nearly two years after Mercy Hospital closed its doors, the southeast Kansas town of Independence is still without a hospital.
But it may have the next best thing: a new state-of-the-art clinic with an emergency room and a small cancer treatment center.
The nearly $8 million Independence Healthcare Center operates as an extension of Labette Health, a regional hospital about 35 miles to the east in Parsons.
“This is a department of the hospital,” said Labette Health head nurse Kathi McKinney, while giving a tour of the center during its dedication Saturday.