Jennie Stuart Medical Center

The settlement means Jennie Stuart's board can finalize the local hospital's acquisition by Deaconess. An earlier settlement agreement delayed any action on the proposal until the end of March.

A lawsuit opposing Jennie Stuart Medical Center’s acquisition by Evansville, Indiana-based hospital group Deaconess has resulted in a three-month delay of any agreement between the two hospitals.

The group lobbying to halt Jennie Stuart Health’s acquisition by a larger hospital group is continuing to assert its case to community groups — and now their message also appears on lawn signs cropping up around Hopkinsville.

Jennie Stuart Health in Hopkinsville hosted a town hall meeting Wednesday night to answer questions from the community about the hospital’s recent decision to seek affiliation with a larger health care system.

Jennie Stuart Health will host an informational session at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, concerning plans for Evansville, Indiana-based Deaconess Health to acquire Hopkinsville’s hospital.

The group filed articles of incorporation after Jennie Stuart announced a letter of intent to join Evansville, Indiana-based Deaconess.

Reports of a potential acquisition or merger of the two hospitals began swirling last week, prompting concern from local officials and residents.

There is speculation that board members — who signed nondisclosure agreements several months ago — could move during a meeting Thursday on a sell or merger with Evansville, Indiana-based Deaconess Health.

Mercy Health-Lourdes Hospital in Paducah and Baptist Health Deaconess in Madisonville recently announced they will expand their respective visitation policies in response to a decline in COVID-19 cases in western Kentucky.

As health care workers grapple with the pandemic’s most recent wave, a few things are clear: patients hospitalized with COVID are getting sick quicker, are younger than before and are mostly unvaccinated.