Levi Hospital to transition into community health foundation

After more than 110 years of providing healthcare in Hot Springs, Levi Hospital will transition into a foundation for community health. The hospital will cease patient care services after Aug. 1, 2025.

The foundation will focus on behavioral health and social determinants of health through community partnerships and grants.

The decision results from years of strategic planning to address aging infrastructure. Sections of the hospital date back to 1914, when it was founded, and the required plumbing, electrical, and mechanical work alone approaches the cost of a new hospital.

Plans for new hospital construction were underway, but increasing uncertainty surrounding future healthcare reimbursement and a review of community needs prompted the hospital to pause plans for new construction and reassess its direction.

“Our mission is to be a lasting foundation that promotes the health and welfare of our community by addressing the root causes of behavioral health conditions and the social determinants of health that influence them,” said CEO Zane Jeffers, who will join the new foundation board.

“Transitioning to a foundation allows us to preserve the hospital’s mission while expanding our reach to other factors such as affordable housing and poverty. Psychiatric hospital readmissions are often linked to unstable housing—no matter how exceptional our psychiatric care is, if patients have nowhere to go after discharge, they are more likely to experience another acute mental crisis. By broadening our focus, we hope to help break this cycle and support our patients’ long-term well-being,” added Jeffers.

Levi Hospital will support its patients through the transition in care. Hospital employees will be offered severance packages and career transition services.

“Zane inherited both structural and financial challenges, and he handled them with great care, leading the hospital with integrity, transparency, and a deep commitment to our mission,” said Dennis Smith, chair of Levi’s board of directors. “This transition is not about stepping away—it’s about stepping up to meet our community’s evolving needs. We are proud of the progress made under Zane’s leadership and confident this new direction honors Levi’s legacy while creating a foundation for the next century of service.”

Levi said more updates, including how to obtain medical records, would be provided at levihospital.com.