TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The owner of a nonprofit Catholic hospital in Topeka says it will stop operating the hospital whether or not it is successful in finding a buyer for the financially troubled facility. Denver-based SCL Health said in a statement Tuesday that it is willing to donate the St. Francis hospital to another organization to keep the 378-bed facility open. The company issued the statement shortly after Kansas Governor Sam Brownback said he had secured a promise from its CEO not to announce a closing Tuesday. Brownback said SCL promised it would work with state and local officials to find a way to keep the hospital open. SCL has been looking for a buyer for St. Francis since May 2016.
