Abandoned hospital shut for 18 years with rusting operating machines and beds
The spooky remains of an abandoned hospital are complete with abandoned mannequins and empty emergency rooms.
Exclusive images of the hospital were captured by urban explorer Leland Kent, who explained the long history of the once-thriving hospital.
It was sold to the community for $1 and they turned it into a haunted house which raised $30,000.
Leland captured the images and told the story of the hospital on his Abandoned Southeast blog, but did not reveal the location of it.
"Across the Southeast, rural hospital closures are not uncommon. Like other small towns, this hospital was once the centre of the community," said Leland on his blog.
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“Before the hospital could be built, the community had to raise enough money to receive a matching grant from the federal government."
The hospital was sold to the community for $1 (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)In the 2021 blog post, Leland explained the site was not yet secure, so he did not want to reveal its location as it was a target for scrap hoarders.
Homeless people are also reported to have used the premises as shelter and a place to sleep.
Of the hospital facilities, the urban adventurer added: "Once it was complete, the new hospital had an emergency room, several surgical suites, an ICU, OB-GYN, equipment for advanced arthroscopic surgery, and 60 patient beds.
Locals still have to drive elsewhere for treatment (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)“Anyone who walked through the doors would receive treatment, even those who could not afford to pay.
“Although never on the cutting edge of technology, the hospital did deliver babies and save many lives."
The hospital eventually began to struggle with financial problems during the 1990s.
As the difficulties got worse, the surrounding town attempted to save it but was unaware of how high the mountain of cash they had to climb was.
The town tried to save the hospital (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)Leland said: “By the 1990s, the rural hospital struggled with outstanding debt and a lack of cash flow. The entire town showed up in support at a series of public hearings regarding the hospital’s future.
“However, your average citizen had no idea how much debt the hospital carried. For several years, a larger hospital took over the daily operations and management in the hopes of getting the budget back on track.
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'Your average citizen had no idea how much debt the hospital carried' (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)“Yet, it continued to close departments, lose patients as well as funding. When departments like the OB-GYN and the ER closed, the staff saw the writing on the wall.
“The county board created to oversee the hospital tried everything to keep the building open, even spending more than a million dollars of taxpayer money.
“Ultimately, the debt proved to be too large, and with a lack of patients, the hospital’s closing came as no surprise. In 2005, the hospital finally closed its doors for good."
Scrappers have targeted the hospital (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)The building and its contents were sold after the hospital sadly closed and the new owner decided to lease the building and land back to the city for the mere sum of just $1.
Leland added: "Now, on the weekends, a farmer’s market is set up across the property.
"Throughout the year, the hospital campus hosts food trucks and an annual festival.
"While the building is now in shambles from years of neglect, a portion of the building is repurposed yearly as a haunted house attraction."
Leland wrote that the effects of the closure are still being felt in the community as people drive into other counties for emergency treatment.
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