Bay Area Regional Medical Center will close early next week and file for bankruptcy, the hospital said Friday. It was the second announced closure of a local hospital in the last six months, the Houston Chronicle reported. CEO Stephen K. Jones Jr. told employees in an email provided to the Chronicle that the company "was not able to overcome significant hurdles with managed-care companies." An estimated 900 employees will lose their jobs. Patient moveouts began immediately. The 191-bed hospital, which is owned by locally based Medistar Corp. and offers emergency, surgical and a range of other medical services, opened four years ago just a half-mile from the more established Clear Lake Regional Medical Center. Read more.
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