PHILIPSBURG, Pa. -- Starting in February, the Philipsburg Hospital should be up and running, providing at least blood lab work and X-rays for patients.

"And if everything follows through, we'll have at least physician services available from early in the morning to late at night," said Dr. Larry Adams, a Philipsburg doctor who has planned to reopen the hospital for several months. "As things progress, we want a 24-hour emergency room. Patients say what long waits there are at other emergency rooms."

Some people in Philipsburg are skeptical. The hospital has been closed for nearly two years. Plus, Adams faces more than 40 charges for allegedly overprescribing medication for a patient and making money in the process. But he said that's a separate issue, and it won't affect the hospital's reopening.

"There is a lot of work being done at the building," said Adams. "We've got a lot of people doing paperwork for the Department of Health, too."

The Department of Health will need to license the hospital in the coming weeks before it opens.

Business owners in Philipsburg said the reopening will help the downtown economy.

"Right now, Philipsburg is basically a bedroom community," said Kathy, a new business owner in Philipsburg. "People go to State College or elsewhere to work, and the hospital will provide a wonderful opportunity for people to have jobs here."

Adams said he'll do whatever it takes to make sure the hospital is open again soon.

"I have my office here, my home here," Adams said. "I'm committed to the community."