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Judge sets Feb. 1 hearing to decide if Affinity Medical Center will remain open for 120 days

The decision to close the hospital has brought criticism from hospital workers and politicians alike.

A Stark County judge has set a preliminary hearing for 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 1, to decide whether or not Affinity Medical Center in Massillon will have to remain open for roughly four more months.

Judge Chryssa N. Hartnett of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas issued a temporary restraining order on Friday preventing the hospital from carrying out any activities towards its planned closure. While that order is in effect for only two weeks, Judge Hartnett could order at the hearing for Affinity to remain open for 120 more days.

The only hospital in Massillon announced its plans to shut down earlier this month, citing "a challenging regulatory environment and increasing financial pressures." Officials had said they would close the hospital for good before midnight on Feb. 4, but this latest court order could change that.

The decision to close Affinity Medical Center (particularly so quickly) has brought criticism from hospital workers and politicians alike: Members of National Nurses United were joined by former U.S. Rep. and current Ohio governor hopeful Dennis Kucinich for a protest outside the hospital just days after the announcement, and Ohio U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman later penned a joint letter to hospital leaders urging them to stay open "until a new healthcare provider is identified and confirmed."

READ MORE: Potential closing of Affinity Medical Center worries local business owner

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