ST. LOUIS — The Lutheran School of Nursing, a south St. Louis institution dating to 1898, has closed, it said in a social media post.
The closure occurred July 27, the message Monday said, adding that academic transcripts for students were being transferred to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. All other records, it added, will be retained at South City Hospital, which owned the school.
"A teach out agreement will be offered to currently enrolled students," the message added, referring to a deal that typically involves a closing school contracting with another so that students may finish their program.
A letter from hospital CEO Tina Hecht announcing the closure cited challenging enrollment and financial trends, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The Business Journal in April reported that the hospital had been struggling to pay employees, with officials citing technical issues.
The Dutchtown hospital, formerly known as St. Alexius, along with the nursing school, were purchased out of bankruptcy court for about $17 million in January 2021 by SA Hospital Acquisition LLC, whose managing members are Lawrence Feigen and Jeff Ahlholm.
Around the time of the sale, an official said the nursing school would move from 3547 S. Jefferson Ave. to the hospital's nearby medical office building, on its so-called Jefferson Campus. SA Hospital Acquisition had said that the school was dealing with a moratorium on admissions dating to 2019, as it was under a plan of correction from state regulators.
Read the full story on the St. Louis Business Journal website.
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