In an email to staff obtained by the newspaper, hospital owner John Johnson, MD, said employees would not be paid as scheduled March 7, adding that the administration was “working hard to enable a disbursement to take place on or before 3/11/25.”
“It’s no surprise that East Ohio Hospital has walked through fires and storms of tribulation hand in hand with many of you over the past four years,” Dr. Johnson wrote, according to The Intelligencer. “It is because of your valiant efforts, skills and selfless support that the organization has managed to overcome these difficulties that allow continued opportunity to serve the community and beyond. EORH continues to experience these obstacles and challenges as continued navigation through the next steps to keeping the doors of the facility open. The goal of stability remains consistent.”
Dr. Johnson also told employees the message comes after “exhausting all possibilities for immediate release of funding” on March 7, and that he hopes paychecks will be provided to workers on March 11. Additionally, he expressed gratitude for staff and emphasized that “the delay in funding is not an indication of the EORH closing.”
Becker’s has reached out to the hospital and will update this story if more information is provided.
Dr. Johnson’s message follows EORH’s announcement in February that it would be shuttering its long-term care and skilled nursing facility. Amid challenges, the hospital also terminated employee health insurance coverage and has been working to resolve backdated taxes, according to Fox affiliate WTOV.
The hospital experienced other payroll delays over the last year, once in August and again in December. Hospital officials attributed the August delay to an issue with the bank that resulted in a delay in processing its wire transfer to its payroll company, and the December delay to an error by the hospital’s payroll company.