SHARON, Pa. – A request by FirstEnergy of Pennsylvania for a Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission judge to dismiss a complaint filed by Sharon Regional Health System was granted Wednesday.
The PUC complaint by the hospital’s owner, nonprofit Tenor Health Foundation Sharon LLC, was filed after the electric company issued a shut-off notice over more than $420,000 in reported past-due charges.
In a PUC case docket entry, administrative law Judge Eranda Vero granted FirstEnergy’s request to dismiss the complaint due to the hospital failing to have an attorney who is licensed in Pennsylvania or acceptable to the court represent them in the matter.
Sharon Regional has been given 20 days from Wednesday to file any written comments or exceptions.
A request for comment from a hospital spokesperson Friday received an automatic reply that the person is out of the office until Monday.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health, which conducts periodic inspections of hospitals across the commonwealth, reported concerns May 14 about the hospital’s past-due gas and electricity bills.
According to the report, a service termination bill from the natural gas supplier in March indicated past due amounts totaling $50,591 for the boiler, warehouse and linen locations. Despite Tenor making small partial payments, the outstanding balance due had ballooned to $90,522 by April 22, the report states.
A shut-off notice was issued for natural gas May 8, and it stated the amount owed was $75,105. While gas was to be shut off June 14, no further information has been reported by the health department.
Even larger was the amount reportedly unresolved for electricity, which as of May 14 was listed at $421,197. A notice to terminate was issued and stated electricity would be shut off May 26, the day Tenor filed its complaint with the PUC.
According to the Health Department, Sharon Regional had until Aug. 14 to submit a plan addressing its past-due utility bills and remain in compliance.
A plan of correction now notes the “facility leadership immediately initiated actions to ensure continuation of operations under normal conditions. SRHS Leadership collaborated with Penn Power and National Fuel on utility payments.”
The plan of correction lists several ways the hospital intends to increase revenue stream and cut costs, including adding additional procedures and securing a corporate CEO with experience managing healthcare organizations under financial strain.
In a statement last week, a health department spokesman said it “continues to conduct thorough oversight of Sharon Regional [Health System] in order to ensure patients and staff are safe at the hospital. The Department is in regular communications with the hospital and state surveyors, also known as inspectors, have been onsite to ensure all applicable state regulations are followed. Safeguarding patient health and safety remains a priority of DOH.”
FirstEnergy on Aug. 19 filed a motion to dismiss Tenor’s formal complaint, which was blocking it from pursuing the past-due amounts by issuing a shut-off date for electric service.
The Tenor Health Foundation acquired the hospital in 2025 after it had closed due to the Steward Health Care System bankruptcy in 2024, reopening it in March 2025. It has been touted as the first time a closed hospital has been successfully reopened in Pennsylvania.
Since then, Tenor also has acquired Wilkes-Barre General Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Moses Taylor Hospital and Regional Hospital of Scranton, both in Scranton, Pa.