SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The fate of a major hospital in northeastern Pennsylvania is in limbo.
Elected officials, union leaders, and others gathered in Scranton to discuss the future of the Regional Hospital of Scranton and Moses Taylor Hospital. The combined hospitals are owned by Community Health Systems or Commonwealth Health. A failed sale to a nonprofit health system has put the hospitals at risk to close.
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Community Health Systems attempted to sell the hospitals to a nonprofit health system, Woodbridge Healthcare Inc. earlier this year, but Woodbridge was unable to secure funding and the sale fell through. Now, the hospitals need a new buyer, or they could close their doors for good.
"It was gut-wrenching to find out that the sale fell through," said Emma Mangel, Regional Hospital ICU Nurse/SEIU Chapter President.
Mangel says closing the hospitals would be detrimental for area patients.
"With NICU, with our cardiac teams, all the care that they do. Every single patient in the community and the surrounding communities would be affected by this," said Mangel.
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is also owned by Community Health Systems. They plan to keep ownership. Lori Schmidt is a registered nurse and the president of the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital Union. She says the closures would put extra burden on their already overwhelmed staff.
"If they close those two, where are those patients going to go? Our hospital can't absorb all of it, and the other surrounding hospitals won't be able to either," said Schmidt.
The governor's office and local lawmakers say they are working to find a solution as soon as possible, and they say there are potential buyers. However, it's unclear exactly when a sale could be made.
Community Health Systems has issued a statement in response to tonight's meeting.
"We are taking time to ensure all possible options for the future of Commonwealth Health are fully considered. This work includes discussions with state and local leaders, including the Governor's Office and members of the General Assembly. No decisions have been made at this point in time, but we will provide updates if and when there is news to share. In the meantime, we are grateful for the physicians and employees across Commonwealth Health who remain focused on delivering quality care for their patients," said Tomi Galin, EVP, Corporate Communications and Marketing, Community Health Systems.
