WARREN, Ohio – Western Reserve Health Education Inc. filed an objection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Tuesday regarding nonpayment for programs it provided at the former Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital.
The filing claims Steward Health Care System, which until recently operated the hospitals, has continued receiving funding from both state and federal sources for intern, residency and fellows training education programs. However, Steward has not paid Western Reserve Health Education, which provides the programs as per contract, and Steward is claiming it is rejecting the contract, the filing states.
In a filing Dec. 20, Western Reserve Health Education indicated Steward had failed to pay for the residency program’s expenses, a total amount of $367,348.
Steward filed bankruptcy in May, leading the for-profit group to find new owners for the majority of its nearly 30 hospitals in eight states.
Insight Health System acquired the two Trumbull County hospitals in November and renamed them Insight Hospital & Medical Center Trumbull and Insight Rehabilitation Hospital Hillside.
The fate of another Steward-owned hospital, Sharon Regional Medical Center in Sharon, Pa., is still uncertain.
Yates Medical Group announced in a statement Tuesday that it “continues its efforts to acquire and save Sharon Regional Medical Center.”
Also Tuesday, WFMJ, WKBN and the Sharon Herald reported that Tenor Health Partners, based in Pasadena, Calif., reached an agreement in principle with Medical Properties Trust to operate the Sharon hospital properties.
In a December court filing, Steward announced that it planned to close the hospital Jan. 6 after Meadville Medical Center announced that it would not purchase the Sharon hospital due to inadequate funding.
A rally is planned for 6 p.m. Thursday. A statement from the organizers reads: “We will commence the rally with a prayer of unity and we hope to line the sidewalks from Daffin’s to Stambaugh Avenue with all of you. Help us to remain here to care for you and your families and be the refuge of healthcare that our communities deserve.”