WARREN, Ohio – Insight Hospital Medical Center Trumbull has stopped all inpatient admissions, though the emergency room remains open 24 hours a day to stabilize, treat and transfer patients as needed.

According to an Insight Health System spokesperson, the decision came due to a breakdown in the transition partnership between Insight Health System and bankrupt Steward Health Care System.

“Despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue, no agreement was reached. We have exhausted all options of resolution,” the Insight spokesperson said in a statement.

All the locations, including Insight Hospital and Medical Center Trumbull in Warren, Insight Rehabilitation Hospital Hillside in Howland and outpatient centers in Austintown and Cortland are remaining open at this time to provide outpatient services, including outpatient surgeries, cardiac cath procedures, labs, imaging and rehabilitation.

At issue is the bankruptcy and the sale of the transition services agreement by Steward to a third-party vendor, according to the Insight spokesperson, who released the following statement:

“Due to new developments in Steward’s bankruptcy, the transition services agreement supporting Trumbull and Hillside hospitals’ functions will no longer be serviced by Steward. The transition services agreement [TSA] was set up to keep the hospital’s doors open to patients, during what would normally be a planned conversion over multiple months.

“Through Steward’s control of softwares, systems and accounts, Steward has already imposed millions in overhead costs and prevented millions more in revenues from reaching the local hospitals. Following a bankruptcy court order, Steward is now selling their management functions to another third-party with even greater costs to cover their debts without Insight’s consent.

“For our local hospitals these burdens are untenable and contradict the hospitals’ purpose of providing affordable accessible medical care to the Warren community. New systems will need to be rapidly installed, which will require restructuring Trumbull and Hillside hospitals’ operations and services. Insight will have future announcements about what this means for patients, employees and the community. Insight remains fully dedicated to the community’s well-being despite these difficult circumstances.” 

Since Steward filed bankruptcy May 6, 2024, the future has been contentious for the two local hospitals, as well as Sharon Regional Medical Center, which is still attempting to reopen after it was sold to Tenor Health in January.

According to U.S. Bankruptcy Court documents, Steward has sold the TSA services to Golden Sun TSA Services LLC for several of the hospitals involved in the bankruptcy, not just the local ones. Sharon Regional Medical Center is also listed among those included in the TSA sale. 

The move gives Steward additional funds to pay debtors identified through the bankruptcy.

However, a clause in the 175-page court document regarding the sale states Steward will not  be allowed to sell the TSA with Insight, which was entered in October, without Insight’s consent.