ST. JOHN'S REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER v. Freeman Health System

JEFFREY W. BATES, Chief Judge.

Freeman Health System (FHS) appeals from a judgment in a declaratory judgment action brought by St. John’s Regional Medical Center (St. John’s). The object of the action was to obtain a declaration determining how many board members FHS and St. John’s were entitled to appoint to the Board of Directors of the Greater Joplin Area Emergency Medical Services System, Inc. (JEMS). 1 The trial court decided that FHS and St. John’s were each entitled to appoint three of the six board members. We affirm.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

In 1981, the City of Joplin,…