A lawsuit opposing Hopkinsville’s Jennie Stuart Medical Center’s acquisition by Deaconess Health System, headquartered in Evansville, Ind., has resulted in a three-month delay of any agreement between the two hospitals, Jennifer P. Brown reports for the Hoptown Chronicle. At the conclusion of a Dec. 20 hearing, Christian Circuit Judge Andrew Self announced the “essence” of an agreement between the plaintiff, Save Jennie Stuart, a group that has asked the hospital’s board members to slow or abandon its plans to affiliate with Deaconess, and the defendants, Jennie Stuart and its board members, Brown reports. The agreement was made after a nearly three-hour meeting. “All of the pending claims in the current litigation will be dismissed. The court will retain jurisdiction to enforce the agreement that’s going to be entered into by and between the parties,” Self told Brown. “The essence of the agreement is this: Jennie Stuart Medical Center’s board of directors will extend its due diligence period with regard to the proposed transaction with Deaconess until March 31, 2025, and will not vote on the transaction before March 31.” The hospital board had originally planned to vote on the Deaconess deal this month, reports Brown. Self added that the agreement also allows the board to extend the letter of intent with Deaconess and that two additional persons were added to a subcommittee that has been working on the details of the agreement between Jennie Stuart and Deaconess, Brown reports. Further, Self said, “And then finally the Jennie Stuart Medical Center Board will actively pursue securing and preserving the independence of the Jennie Stuart Medical Center Foundation.” In a summary of what prompted the lawsuit, Brown reports, “Jennie Stuart’s board announced on Sept. 23 that it had signed a letter of intent to join Deaconess. A change in the local hospital’s ownership had been under review for several months before it became public. Proponents of the Deaconess acquisition have said it is a strategic move in the best interest of protecting Jennie Stuart’s long-term viability. Opponents say it will diminish local control of the community-based, not-for-profit hospital.” The post Hopkinsville’s Jennie Stuart Medical Center-Deaconess transaction delayed appeared first on The Lexington Times.