Scranton town hall highlights urgent need to protect local hospital jobs and care quality

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Union leaders and local elected officials are talking about the future of Commonwealth Health’s hospitals.

After the recent collapse of a sale many hoped would help the financially challenged facilities.

It was the topic of a town hall in Scranton Monday, organized by SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, along with the PA Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals union.

There, they had discussions on the state of hospitals with an emphasis on protecting quality care and good jobs in the community.

Shutting down a hospital means the thousands of people who regularly utilize the facility will need to find somewhere else to go.

Joanna Rosenhein, Consumer Engagement Manager for Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN), expresses her concern for the hospital staff and providers at Geisinger Community Medical Center who are stretched thin enough as is.

Rosenhein says Regional sees about 381,000 patients per year. Geisinger Community Medical Center would not be able to take in all of those people at once. It could take years to expand capacity.

“Regional provides roughly a third of the hospital bed capacity in Lackawanna County. If Regional closes and you add up the remaining bed capacity, you do not have enough beds to meet patient demands. Demand for patient beds would exceed the capacity by 25%. This is literally not possible. We urge state lawmakers to work with the local community to find a way to keep Regional open. It is a vital part of our hospital safety net and all of us will struggle if Regional closes,” said Rosenhein.

Senator Marty Flynn of Pennsylvania 22nd District believes the burden of finding a buyer should not rest on the shoulders of the people of the Commonwealth and calls upon the heads of Community Health Systems, such as CFO Kevin Hammons, Executive VP of Operations Kevin Stockton, and CEO Tim Hingtgen to step up and help Northeast Pennsylvania find a buyer.

“We’ve been trying for years. Nothing has happened. CHS made us shut our mouths. We couldn’t usher anyone else into this. Now, we have to because they failed. They failed at putting their deal together. No, they need to step up and help us find a suitable buyer and a suitable healthcare system that cares about the people of Northeast Pennsylvania. This isn’t a question of if. It’s not a question of if. People will die if this doesn’t happen! That’s a fact!” said Senator Flynn.

This all comes after the late-November collapse of a transaction that included the nonprofit WoodBridge Healthcare acquiring several local hospitals.

Local officials had hoped investments by WoodBridge would restore healthcare services Commonwealth had reduced or discontinued.

Many of those officials are now hoping another buyer emerges.

For more information on the matter, the slideshow presentation shown at the meeting can be found in the photo gallery on this page.