Several healthcare organizations have closed medical departments or ended services to shore up finances, focus on more in-demand services or prevent patient care lapses.
Below are six of them that were announced, advanced or finalized since May 1, asBecker's Hospital Reviewreported.
1. Catholic Health's Sisters of Charity Hospital, St. Joseph campus, in Cheektowaga, N.Y., transitioned into an outpatient and ambulatory care center in May. Under the transition, the hospitalwill closeits intensive care unit and end inpatient services.
2. Paradise Valley Hospital in National City, Calif.,will closeits obstetrics, labor and delivery, and newborn nursing units by Aug. 4, according to a recent hospital notice. The closures will affect about 40 employees.
3. Mishawaka, Ind.-based Franciscan Healthwill cut218 inpatient beds at its 226-bed hospital, Franciscan Health Hammond (Ind.). The healthcare system said it will shrink the hospital to an eight-bed acute care facility with an emergency department and primary care practice. The health system said it will stop providing most high-end surgical services at the facility and house inpatient stays on a short-term basis.
4. Community HealthCare Systemwill closethe emergency room and all inpatient beds at its hospital facility in St. Marys, Kan. St. Marys' ER and inpatient services will end June 4. Community HealthCare, based in Onaga, Kan., is licensed for a 25-bed critical access hospital, with eight of the beds at St. Marys and the rest at Onaga Community Hospital. Six staff positions were eliminated because of the closure.
5. St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul, Minn.,plans to wind downCOVID-19 inpatient services by the end of May, affecting 325 jobs. COVID-19 care is one of the last remaining inpatient services at St. Joseph's Hospital, which has been gradually shutting down inpatient services over the last few months and transitioning to a community hub for health and wellness.
6. Upper Allegheny Health System, a two-hospital system based in Olean, N.Y., plans to reduce acute care and surgical service offerings at Bradford (Pa.) Regional Medical Center. Under the plan, the targeted services will move to the health system's other hospital, Olean General Hospital, effective May 1.