Leaders Determined to Save Trumbull Regional
WARREN, Ohio – A group of leaders is continuing to work to save Trumbull Regional Medical Center despite Steward Health Care System’s announcement Wednesday that it intends to close the facility and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in the next 30 days.
“Our No. 1 goal and task is to save this hospital from closure, and there’s several reasons,” Mayor Doug Franklin said. “But first and foremost, saving this hospital is all about choice in the community. Whether you’re a patient, employer – we feel it’s important to have a choice, that this community deserves to have and needs a two-hospital system.”
The other hospital in the city is St. Joseph Warren Hospital, which is owned by Mercy Health.
Franklin said he has seen a tremendous effort since the announcement was made less than 24 hours earlier. But the push of developing a strategy, finding partners and talking about acquiring Steward’s assets began more than a year ago.
“What happened here is not a result of the hospital, its doctors or staff. This rests 100% on the backs of Steward Health,” Franklin said.
Steward filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May.
Within the next 48 hours, Warren City Hospital, the group leading the charge to save Trumbull Regional, and officials plan to have filed objections in the bankruptcy court in Houston, along with a statement of available finances. Thomas Connelly, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2026, said the AFSCME Region 8 also plans to file an objection in court.
“It’s been a spark plug, the news we got,” said Trumbull County Commissioner Denny Malloy. “That’s not a bad thing. I saw more movement last night and today than any time in the last year, and finally people are stepping up or they’re getting out of the way so that the people who want to step up can do so. I believe in this group. I believe in this community. … We’re fighting the clock right now.”
Financial Support
During a press conference Thursday in Warren City Council chambers at the Municipal Court building, organizers of Warren City Hospital asked individuals and foundations to donate to the Save Our Hospital Fund through the United Way of Trumbull County.
Anyone can give a one-time or recurring gift on the United Way’s website. Christine Cope, president and CEO of the United Way of Trumbull County, said 100% of the proceeds will go toward the effort. Cope said her family uses Trumbull Regional, and her grandfather was the first baby born at the hospital.
“We have to save this hospital, so please go to the Save Our Hospital Fund and make a donation,” Cope said.
Warren City Hospital believes between $20 million and $30 million will be needed to save and operate both Trumbull Regional and Hillside for about 90 days.
John Guarnieri, president of Warren City Hospital and chairman of the board of Trumbull Regional, said the group has reached out to the state, as well as community members, private businesses and foundations, for support.
“We’re not done,” Guarnieri said. “Despite the announcement yesterday, there will be continuing, ongoing efforts to find the capital support that we need to make this operation go long term. We only have days to make it happen because everybody saw the information on the news, but we will push ahead.”
Guarnieri said he believes that if the group is able to acquire the hospital from Steward through the bankruptcy court, Medical Properties Trust Inc., a real estate investment trust that leases to health care systems, will be willing to negotiate a new lease deal with the group. MPT owns the hospital properties.
“The staff at Trumbull Regional Medical Center, which I’m directly related to, has been phenomenal throughout this whole process,” Guarnieri said. “They have continued to provide a high-quality care, health care we need in this community. We need two hospitals in this community.”
Connelly cautioned that he is hearing from nurses in the union who are concerned about whether they should be looking for jobs. Mercy Health had an open house Thursday and plans another for Friday for those looking for jobs. He is concerned that as hard as it is to find nurses, if they leave it will be tough to get them back.
Connelly said he is grateful for the group working to put a deal together and planned to share the information about the efforts with his members.
Not only is there a push to protect the two hospitals, but the group also spoke of protecting the hospital’s educational program and its Elm Road facility as well.
Malloy called the effort a “full community effort” like nothing he has ever seen.
“The patient isn’t dead. We have a team of people working on the patient. … We have full belief in the abilities of the community leaders who are behind this – that we’re going to make this hospital survive, and not only survive, but it’s going to thrive,” he said.
Malloy said he believes that with more people now coming to the area for jobs, there will be a greater need for health care.
State Assistance
State Rep. Nick Santucci, R-64th, said Thursday he’s been in contact with Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Attorney General David Yost. He said he has tried to alert Yost about some of Steward’s business practices, and he spoke to DeWine about finding funding opportunities to either find a new hospital system ready to come to the area or help other local medical facilities service more patients.
Franklin said it’s in the state’s best interest to help, and conversations are ongoing.
Malloy said he has reached out to U.S. Sens. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, to request help.
Brown responded to the closure announcement in a statement Thursday.
“My office is monitoring the situation closely and working to support affected workers and ensure patients continue to have access to high quality care,” Brown said.
“This announcement is a slap in the face to the hardworking health care workers who made this company millions of dollars and to the patients in the Mahoning Valley who relied on Steward’s facilities for care,” Brown said. “It’s disgraceful that corporate greed has resulted in the loss of a hospital that’s been serving this community for more than 100 years.”
A spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health said Thursday the state has been engaged in conversations with local stakeholders and health care providers about potential remedies, but he also said the state has limited options because hospitals are not yet subject to licensure by the ODH. That will change Sept. 30.
The spokesman said although the ODH would like to see the two hospitals remain open, if they were to close, officials believe the community’s health care needs can still be met by other local hospitals.
During Thursday’s press conference, some of the medical professionals in the room questioned that premise, noting there are services Trumbull Regional offers that would require patients to travel farther.
Union Response
In a joint statement Thursday, Connelly and the presidents of AFSCME Locals 2804 and 2288, Michele Merten and Ryan Viets, said they “are disappointed to hear that Steward Health has filed for bankruptcy and is requesting the closure of Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Center.”
“Both facilities have long been cornerstones of the Mahoning Valley Community and remain vital to the health and well-being of residents. This is truly devastating news to its employees and the communities we serve,” the statement reads.
They said the union will collaborate with all potential partners in the effort to keep the doors of the hospitals open.
“We remain united in doing all that is in our power to ensure that Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Center remain open and able to provide the necessary high-quality medical care our patients need and deserve,” the statement reads.
They also said the union, which represents about 800 employees at Trumbull Regional and Hillside, is committed to supporting its members.
Earlier Thursday, Trumbull County Commissioner Niki Frenchko said she has family who works at Trumbull Regional, but she questions how the effort to save the hospital would be sustainable while MPT owns it. She thinks it is just delaying the inevitable.
Frenchko said she’s frustrated with the lack of federal and state assistance, noting that local officials can’t do it alone. She said if the hospital closes, there will be more than just health care repercussions. It will have an effect on the local economy and even housing values.
A special commissioners meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, and a special City Council meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Pictured at top: Warren Mayor Doug Franklin speaks during Thursday’s press conference.
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