HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) – A northwestern Indiana hospital that was days away from closing its emergency room has been ordered by a judge to keep those emergency services operational for another nine months. A Lake County judge granted a preliminary injunction last week that Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. had sought against Franciscan Health Hammond, which announced Nov. 3 that it would close its emergency room at year’s end. The city’s legal team successfully argued in seeking the injunction that Franciscan Alliance, a Mishawaka-based hospital chain, broke its promise to provide 24/7 medical services while downsizing the hospital. McDermott says he’s moving ahead with plans to find another medical provider for the space.