CHS changes plans for Birmingham hospital

Locally based hospital operator Community Health Systems has inked a deal with Alabama regulators to relocate its lone hospital in Birmingham.

Tuesday’s deal calls for CHS’ Trinity Medical Center to move to a nearby site where HealthSouth abandoned construction of a new hospital in 2003. Moving to that location will take the place of CHS’ plan to relocate 534-bed Trinity to the Irondale suburb northeast of its current site.

CHS acquired Trinity last year and this spring won approval to build a $316 million hospital in Irondale. It now plans to invest about $275 million to complete the former HealthSouth project.

Shares of CHS ended Tuesday trading at $29.31, up 0.8 percent on the day. So far this year, they're down about 20 percent.