SW Houston hospital can't pay employees

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Approximately 160 employees are without a final paycheck after a southwest Houston hospital closed.

"Everybody's not getting paid," said former employee Charlene Freeman. "We worked to the very last day and we're not getting paid."

Freeman is waiting on more than two weeks of pay from HopeBridge Hospital, an inpatient psychiatric hospital in southwest Houston.

The hospital discharged its last patient Wednesday, and employees who stayed on said they were assured they'd be paid -- but this morning they received a letter stating otherwise.

Hospital leadership claimed a third party which processes Medicaid claims promised a payment then backed out, leaving the hospital unable to pay its employees.

According to hospital CFO Anthony Brown, he's still actively trying to get the money for employees.

"Our people are having the financial stress of...expecting a check," said Brown, "and at this point, we can't pay because the provider didn't pay us."

ABC13 has reached out to the third party, which the hospital identified as Cenpatico, for their comment on the situation.

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