The first WARN notice was for 149 “professional staff members” and the second was for 699 “line staff,” according to a note left on the second notice.
Steward sought Chapter 11 protection May 6 and had been working with the state to sell or transition Sharon Regional to a new operator.
The for-profit health system filed the closure notice after Meadville (Pa.) Medical Center withdrew its proposal to purchase the hospital.
“[W]e are now in the regrettable but unavoidable situation where closure of this facility is the only option,” a spokesperson for Steward said in a Dec. 18 statement shared with Becker’s.
“This is a challenging and very unfortunate situation, but we will continue to keep patient safety and care at the forefront of everything that we do.”
Steward planned to begin the closure process Dec. 17 to fully shut the hospital down by Jan. 6. It will work with patients and family to help locate alternative care and provide support to employees to aid in the transition, the spokesperson said.
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