/ Kaiser Health News.

The news, under Noble Health letterhead, arrived at 5:05 p.m.

"I don't know what my next steps are," said 52-year-old Huemann, who supervised the laboratory at the Audrain hospital.

Noble Health, a three-year-old private equity-backed startup, had acquired Audrain and nearby Callaway Community Hospital during the pandemic.

Noble — facing staggering debt, more than a dozen lawsuits, and at least two federal investigations — struck a deal to sell the hospitals in April to Platinum Neighbors, which is affiliated with Texas-based Platinum Team Management and Platinum Health Systems.

On Tuesday, Platinum officials told KHN that, "on behalf of Noble," they asked Missouri regulators for an additional 30-day extension "in an attempt to explore all alternatives for reopening these facilities," Ryann Gordon, Platinum's director of marketing, said.

Cory Countryman, president of Platinum Health Systems, confirmed the termination of the remaining hospital staff.

On his LinkedIn profile, Shuler said he "brings a lifelong perspective from a family owned skilled care business" as well as expertise in "telemedicine and healthcare services.".

"Our target is acquiring hospitals in rural and disadvantaged areas and introducing our capabilities to them," Shuler said, adding that fixing the two "basically broken" Missouri hospitals from the bottom up would be "much easier than trying to go into a healthy system.".

Venture capital and private equity firm Nueterra Capital launched Noble in December 2019 with executives who had never run a hospital, including Donald R.

In April, Noble struck a deal to sell both hospitals for $2 and a stock transfer to Platinum, which assumed all liabilities, according to the agreement. In a June 22 letter to state regulators about the hospitals' operating licenses, Platinum said, "We are requesting this continuance as Noble Health stock has been transferred to Platinum Medical Management.".

While visiting the hospitals in April, Countryman told employees it was a "priority" to pay the back wages Noble owed them.

Neither Noble nor Platinum made good on that in the months since, employees contend.

"We couldn't get anything," Huemann said, "so we were living with what we had.".

They were all on Platinum's watch: Initially Platinum Neighbors issued the checks, then Callaway County Community Hospital, and finally Noble Health Audrain Inc.

"Everyone cashed their check as soon as they got it," Huemann said.

The medical insurance was supposed to be with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, but Huemann said he never received a card and could not confirm coverage.

Others, such as family medicine doctor Diane Jacobi and her nurse practitioner, Regina Hill, joined MU Health Care, affiliated with the University of Missouri, in Mexico, Missouri, the 11,000-person town where Audrain Community Hospital is located.

"I don't know if you're a mama, but if you're in labor, the idea that you have to spend 45 minutes in a car on the way to the hospital is nerve-wracking," she said.

Lou Leonatti, an attorney who lives in Mexico, said he feels so strongly that the community needs a hospital and emergency care that he provided loans last year to Noble so the company could meet payroll.

 KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues