Cleveland-based MetroHealth plans to close its psychiatric emergency department at the Cleveland Heights Medical Center by Dec. 31 and reassign 35 employees to other behavioral health services across the system.
The decision follows a Cuyahoga County Council vote to allocate $7 million to The Centers, a community provider, for the development of a new behavioral health crisis center, according to the health system. County officials also plan to redirect $4 million in annual funding — previously awarded to MetroHealth — from the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County to support operations at the new center.
“Let me reassure you, we are not walking away,” MetroHealth President and CEO Christine Alexander-Rager, MD, said in an Oct. 17 news release. “We are committed to providing a continuum of behavioral health services and access across Cuyahoga County, and we are reimagining what that looks like for our health system.”
MetroHealth provides behavioral healthcare both virtually and in-person across its footprint, including its main campus and emergency departments in Brecksville, Parma and Cleveland Heights, as well as in the Cuyahoga County Corrections Center.
The psychiatric emergency department opened in October 2024 after the closure of St. Vincent Charity Community Health Center’s psychiatric emergency services unit. MetroHealth also has a standalone behavioral health hospital, which opened in October 2022 on the Cleveland Heights campus.
A spokesperson for MetroHealth said the decision to close the unit was not made until its funding from the county’s ADAMHS Board was put at risk. The system cited both the loss of funds and potential service duplication with the new crisis center as reasons for the move.
However, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne pushed back on that explanation, arguing that hospital board members had previously indicated that MetroHealth already planned to close the unit prior to discussions about the new crisis center, according to Cleveland.com.
The county released a statement distancing itself from the closure decision, calling it “an internal operational and financial decision made by MetroHealth’s leadership,” according to NBC affiliate WKYC.
“This is an internal operational and financial decision made by MetroHealth’s leadership. Their challenges are not the result of the County’s investment, and we are disappointed that MetroHealth is trying to shift the blame to the County and external partners,” Cuyahoga County said in a statement. “In fact, MetroHealth had indicated in prior conversations to County administration that their Psych ED model was struggling from a financial and operational perspective since it opened.”
County officials said they remain focused on strengthening the region’s behavioral health system and hope MetroHealth stays engaged. Dr. Alexander-Rager said the system looks forward to reassessing the continuum of care with county leaders.
MetroHealth is also navigating broader financial challenges and continues to explore cost-cutting measures to stabilize operations.
