Steward, Liberty Businesses Prepare for Northside Closing
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Steward Health Care announced plans Friday for the closing of Northside Regional Medical Center, while area business owners organized an effort to support businesses on the Belmont Avenue corridor that will be affected by the hospital’s closing.
Ahead of Northside’s scheduled closing Thursday, the hospital stopped accepting ambulances and admissions in the emergency department and in the labor and delivery unit at 6 a.m. today. At 12:01 a.m. Thursday, the hospital will close.
Steward “has worked with medical personnel to ensure that every Northside patient is able to transition scheduled procedures to nearby hospitals,” the company said in a release.
Liberty Township businesses also have designated Sept. 20 as Shop Liberty Day to highlight the anticipated impact the loss of Northside’s workers and visitors will have on the economy. Participating merchants will offer $5 featured items, symbolically recognizing the approximately 500 workers who will be displaced.
“We have been in Liberty for 50 years and have experienced a lot of changes in that time,” Jack Kravitz, president of Kravitz Delicatessen, said in a news release issued Friday. “While change can be a challenge, small businesses adapt. We can do this if the community gets behind us and supports our township and the Belmont Avenue corridor.”
Participating businesses include Chad Anthony’s, El Tapatio, Golden Hunan restaurant, Goodwill Industries, Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, Jimmy’s Italian Specialties, K’nafa Restaurant, Kravitz Deli, Minuteman Press, Plaza Donuts, Raks Nearly New and Station Square Ristorante.
The link between the health of businesses on Belmont Avenue and Liberty Township’s ability to grow and prosper cannot be overstated,” said Arnold Clebone, Liberty Township trustee.
“I commend these businesses for showing their resolve in the face of the adversity and you can be assured the trustees will continue to do everything possible to ensure our business corridor is sustained and grows,” he added.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
