Norristown, Pa.-based Suburban Community Hospital, part of Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare, will transition from an acute care facility to a behavioral health campus on July 1.
The transitions will affect 109 employees, according to a Pennsylvania WARN notice. However, around 37 full-time employees will remain at the facility, and 89 full-time employees will be offered comparable positions at other Prime facilities, a spokesperson for Suburban Community Hospital confirmed to Becker’s.
Graduate medical education for 35 residents will run through the academic year at Suburban Community Hospital and will continue through Prime’s Philadelphia-based Roxborough Memorial Hospital moving forward.
“The transition of Suburban Community Hospital into a dedicated behavioral health campus is a direct response to the increased and unmet need for mental and behavioral health services in Southeast Pennsylvania and across our nation,” a May 4 Suburban Community Hospital news release shared with Becker’s said.
The news comes after Suburban Community Hospital shared plans in May 2024 to downsize into a microhospital to focus on emergency care and services like pharmacy, imaging and lab.
“The closure of acute care and emergency services are severe losses for Suburban’s patient community,” side Terena Stinson, RN, a 35-year veteran of Suburban Community Hospital and co-president of Suburban General Nurses’ Association, said in a May 5 news release shared with Becker’s. “[People] in need of emergent care will objectively have fewer options, and many will be forced to go farther when seconds can mean the difference between life and death. That’s what’s true. Patients will suffer.”
