Wichita ? The Kansas attorney general has sued a corporation that is planning to close St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Larned.

The lawsuit alleges that the hospital’s parent corporation, Central Kansas Medical Center, is abandoning a valuable charitable asset. The suit is an effort to protect the hospital’s “critical access” designation from expiring when the hospital closes.

The Hutchinson News reported that a Wichita judge on Monday granted a temporary restraining order against the hospital and Central Kansas Medical Center. A full hearing on the attorney general’s lawsuit is scheduled for Sept. 22-23.

St. Joseph’s board announced June 10 that it planned to close the hospital, effective Sept. 30. It said the hospital is losing money because of a lack of patients.

Since the announcement, Larned and Pawnee County officials have been trying to find a way to keep the hospital open.