A number of healthcare organizations have recently closed medical departments or ended services at facilities to shore up finances, focus on more in-demand services or address staffing shortages.
Here are 10 department closures or services that are ending or have been announced, advanced or finalized that Becker’s reported since April 15:
1. Trenton, N.J.-based Capital Health shuttered its satellite emergency department and outpatient clinic in the city due to structural issues. The two-hospital system on June 4 learned of significant structural problems with an adjoining building that threaten the integrity of its own medical facility. Leaders said the system had “no choice but to cease operations at this location without delay” to ensure the safety of patients, staff and visitors.
2. Missoula, Mont.-based Providence St. Patrick Hospital on June 4 shared plans to close its family maternity center due to “:the current and anticipated challenges facing the healthcare industry.” The hospital, which is part of Renton, Wash.-based Providence, also pointed to external forces such as a flat and declining birth rate and workforce shortages.
3. A Haverhill, Mass.-based hospital previously operated by now-bankrupt Steward Health Care plans to stop providing medical-surgical inpatient care due to a low patient census. The facility is now under a formal 120-day public process with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The planned changes are expected to take effect by Oct. 1.
4. Washington, Ind.-based Daviess Community Hospital closed its DCH Clinic of Jasper on May 30. The hospital said the decision is “part of a focused effort to strengthen the long-term future of our healthcare system by aligning services in ways that allow us to serve more patients, more efficiently, without compromising quality or access.”
5. Madelia (Minn.) Health closed its only pharmacy May 28 due to rising costs.
6. Renton, Wash.-based Valley Medical Center said on May 12 it will make service consolidations and other changes to 50% of its workforce over the next two months due to financial challenges, state and federal government uncertainties, and private sector reimbursement.
7. Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke’s Health System temporarily closed the urologic oncology clinic at the St. Luke’s Cancer Institute. The closure went into effect May 30 and is related to the departure of one of the clinic’s physicians. The health system began recruitment efforts for a urologic oncologist once they learned of the physician’s intended departure but has yet to fill the position.
8. Lawrence Medical Center in Moulton, Ala., permanently closed its emergency department on May 23. The ED closure comes amid a broader plan to transition the hospital into an outpatient facility under a 40-year lease agreement with Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital Health System.
9. Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare temporarily suspended pediatric inpatient services at its Joliet, Ill.-based St. Joseph Medical Center starting April 25 after averaging fewer than one patient daily at the unit. The suspension is reversible, pending future demand.
10. Burlington, Kan.-based Coffey County Hospital will end obstetrics services on June 30 due to declining numbers.
