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PRAGUE — Less than two years ago, a group of investors and managers said they could give four struggling rural hospitals a chance to thrive, with new buildings and new services to attract patients.

On Tuesday, nurses at Prague Community Hospital told their city council that they are reaching into their own pockets to buy supplies like toilet paper and are diverting patients to other hospitals because they don’t have a working CT scanner or the equipment necessary to run basic blood tests. A nurse practitioner said she had to put off her own medical care after she found out she didn’t have health insurance, even though premiums had been deducted from her checks.

At the standing-room-only special meeting, registered nurse Becky Podest choked up while describing the hospital’s financial condition, which she said had worsened under management company Empower HMS.

“The company that’s running us is not allowing us to get any supplies,” she said. “Without supplies, I can’t take care of my people, so I’m asking for help from anyone.”