Mercy Health Prepared to ‘Serve a Larger Community’

WARREN, Ohio – Though some believe health care in the Mahoning Valley could be in jeopardy with the closure of Steward Health Care System’s local hospitals, Mercy Health is prepared to take on additional patients, said Dr. John Luellen, president of Mercy Health Lorain and Youngstown.

Steward issued a 30-day closure notice Wednesday for Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital, as well as several satellite medical facilities in the region. Despite the announcement, the hospitals remain open at this time and trauma patients are still being accepted at the emergency room, according to a Steward spokeswoman.

“The news that’s been released over the past 24 to 48 hours isn’t necessarily a surprise to us, either operationally or strategically,” Luellen said. “I think the great thing about that is, we’ve had the opportunity to begin to transition or enhance our service offerings in anticipation of the need to serve a larger community.”

Luellen said Mercy Health has more than 1,000 registered beds across the three hospitals in the Youngstown market – St. Joseph Warren Hospital, St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital and St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital. Of those, more than 800 beds are regularly staffed. The inpatient census shows on any given day, 650 to 750 are occupied.

“That leaves us capacity, on a daily basis, as it relates to the number of beds that are occupied versus the number of beds that are staffed, and additional capacity relating to the number of beds that are staffed versus the number that we are permitted by the state to operationalize,” Luellen said.

Mercy Health has been working to increase flexibility, he said. In April, St. Joseph Warren Hospital launched a cardiac catheterization lab. The hospital has now performed dozens of pacemaker-related procedures, Luellen said, involving insertions and replacement services for the generators.

The cath lab launched as a Level I provider, and Luellen said it has applied to transition to Level II, asking for expedited approval. Level II status would allow the lab to treat heart attack patients, he said.

Luellen said the hospital has enhanced its services to provide echocardiography. And over the past two weeks, hospital officials have been in contact with their employed vascular surgery team to make certain there is an increased presence at the Warren facility.

Mercy Health’s hospitals in Youngstown and Boardman have been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as high performing hospitals for 2024-2025 for cardiology, heart and vascular care. The Boardman hospital was also recognized for procedures and treatments of nephrology, pulmonology and lung surgery, heart failure, kidney failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Ramping up cardio services is only one example of the efforts Mercy Health is making, according to Luellen. Other services and operations are being ramped up or added.

St. Elizabeth Boardman has upgraded 3D mammography; St. Elizabeth Youngstown has been named a Thrombectomy Ready Stroke Center; and St. Joseph Warren has added robotic knee surgery using Mako SmartRobotics, which reportedly has a better outcome for patients.

Luellen anticipates the grand opening of the Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital in Liberty on Nov. 14. Patients will be served starting the next day, and over a 60-day period, those requiring inpatient rehabilitation will migrate from St. Elizabeth Youngstown to the new 60-bed, 66,000-square-foot facility.

Additionally, ground was broken on Mercy Health Behavioral Hospital in April. The facility will be 61,900 square feet with 72 beds and will be located next to the Rehabilitation Hospital.

“Our primary goal was to take care of the people in the Mahoning Valley and do that in a high quality and fiscally sustainable manner so we can continue to do that for another century,” Luellen said. “We’ve been very successful in growing in a very intentional manner to meet the needs of the community where those needs exist.”

WARN notices have now been filed with the state for 765 employees at Trumbull Regional Medical Center, 170 employees at Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital and nine listed as still working at Northside Regional Medical Center.

Luellen said Mercy Health is actively reaching out to the employees of those hospitals and is hosting job fairs, adding it would be a shame for talented individuals to leave the Valley when Mercy Health may need them.

Luellen stressed that Mercy Health will continue to evolve its plans to meet the needs of the community. However, not everyone agrees that Mercy Health can or should be the only health system in the region.

Dr. Sanjay Sheth, a primary care physician who works at both Steward and Mercy Health hospitals, said during flu season, emergency waiting rooms could fill up and make it difficult for one institution to keep up.

Trumbull County Commissioner Denny Malloy said a two-hospital system gives everyone a better chance of getting in and out of emergency rooms quickly and not ending up on long waiting lists for surgeries.

State Rep. Mike Loychik, R-65th, said Friday that he applauds the efforts of Warren Mayor Doug Franklin, city officials and others to keep the Steward hospitals open.

“I am deeply moved by the community’s united front in safeguarding our essential resources,” Loychik said in a statement. “Your efforts are a testament to our collective commitment to the well-being of our community.”

Loychik said he is working with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and leaders in the Ohio House of Representatives to explore solutions on a state level. Steward’s local hospitals are currently slated to close Sept. 20.

“It’s essential for our residents that the medical center and rehabilitation hospital stay open to effectively serve the community and keep jobs in the area,” Loychik said. “Our doctors and nurses play an invaluable role in keeping our community healthy and safe.”

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.