Charleston, W.Va.-based Saint Francis Hospital will close its emergency department Feb. 1, FOX11 reported Jan. 6.
The hospital recently became a member of the Morgantown-based WVU Medicine, which has plans to repurpose it as an orthopedic hospital. Critical care services from Saint Francis Hospital will shift to Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston, which also recently joined WVU Medicine.
Saint Francis Hospital will become "West Virginia's first full-service and comprehensive orthopedic hospital with expanded inpatient, outpatient, physical therapy, occupational therapy and skilled nursing all under one roof," according to a news release from the health system. Closing the emergency department is the first step toward its repurposing.