Lee Health, the largest hospital in North Carolinians, is on the brink of closure after a state judge ruled the company’s facilities were “unfit for human habitation.”
The hospital has been under the control of the state since August and is the latest in a string of health care facilities to go out of business.
The company, which operates three North Carolina facilities, is facing bankruptcy court orders from the state, including for its nursing home and mental health facility, both in Raleigh.
The state ordered Lee to make significant changes, including closing nursing homes and closing facilities for psychiatric patients.
But the judge said Lee was not obligated to do anything.
“The court finds that the Lee Health facilities are not fit for human use and do not meet the standards for a medical facility,” the judge wrote in a July 28 order.
Lee said it was not clear when the decision would be finalized.
It was not immediately clear if Lee would seek to appeal.
But in a statement, the state said it would “continue to aggressively pursue litigation” against the hospital.
The statement did not mention the state’s ruling.
A federal judge in August ordered the state to make changes to Lee’s nursing home, which is run by the state Department of Social Services.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state for failing to comply with a judge’s order to remove the nursing home.
According to the lawsuit, Lee and its owner, Dr. James T. Wilson, violated a court order to stop using the facility as a residential care facility and for failing, through their inaction, to provide needed care to residents.
On Monday, the company filed an emergency petition to vacate the order, saying that “Lee’s decision to close the facility will result in a drastic decrease in services provided and will not achieve the intended outcome.”
The company said it will provide more information on the petition to the judge.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Dr, Wilson said he was concerned the hospital would be closed.
He said Lee’s actions have not improved the quality of care at the facility and that “the court has made it clear that it will not consider this petition for review.”
