Shelby Regional Medical Center Closes

CENTER — The town of Center will no longer have a hospital after the Shelby Regional Medical Center’s agreement with Medicare/Medicaid was terminated on Wednesday. According to a statement from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, the cause of the termination was the hospital’s failure to meet minimum health and safety standards required for Medicare program participation. The closing of the hospital will force Shelby County citizens to drive over 20 miles for emergency medical care. In April of this year, U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced the indictment of the hospital’s owner, Tarick Mahmood, on seven counts of health care fraud.