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Kosierowski, Shapiro rep say talks to find buyer for Regional, Moses Taylor hospitals continue

Healthcare workers and Scranton-area residents packed the Hilton Hotel on Dec. 16 for a town hall meeting on CHS's failure to sell its hospitals.
Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America
Healthcare workers and Scranton-area residents packed the Hilton Hotel on Dec. 16 for a town hall meeting on CHS's failure to sell its hospitals.

There were no new answers about the fate of two Scranton hospitals at a packed town hall meeting Monday, but officials stressed that efforts to find suitable buyers continues behind the scenes.

“We have the support of the governor, the governor's office, the Department of Health, the Attorney General's Office, they're all hands on deck that this has to be solved," state Rep. Bridget Kosierowski (D-Waverly) told unionized workers and concerned residents gathered at the Hilton Scranton and Conference Center.

State Rep. Bridget Kosierowski (D-Waverly) talks about efforts to protect Scranton's hospitals on Dec. 16.
Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America
State Rep. Bridget Kosierowski (D-Waverly) talks about efforts to protect Scranton's hospitals on Dec. 16.

Tennessee-based Community Health Systems, operating locally as for-profit Commonwealth Health, announced late last month that a $120 million deal to sell Moses Taylor Hospital, Regional Hospital of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital to a nonprofit group had fallen through after the proposed buyer could not secure financing.

While officials have said CHS is expected to continue operating Wilkes-Barre General, Moses Taylor and Regional — both located in Scranton's Hill Section — appear vulnerable in the wake of comments CHS officials made earlier this year about potentially closing those two hospitals if a buyer could not be found.

Kosierowski, who has been spearheading efforts to find a buyer, told the audience Monday that she hopes to be able to announce a deal by the end of the year, and added that there might be an answer as soon as the end of the week.

Drew Popish, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Northeast Regional Director, said the governor’s office is working with two promising buyers but said he was not able to share details about them.

State Rep. Marty Flynn (D-Taylor) attacked CHS for its treatment of Northeast Pennsylvania residents and healthcare workers in its medical facilities
Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America
State Rep. Marty Flynn (D-Taylor) attacked CHS for its treatment of Northeast Pennsylvania residents and healthcare workers in its medical facilities

'People will die'

Two things were certain at Monday's meeting: Employees and community members foresee dire consequences if the Scranton hospitals close, and all blame CHS for how it has managed the facilities.

“[CHS] need[s] to step up and help us find a suitable buyer and a suitable health care system that cares about the people of Northeast Pennsylvania," State Sen. Marty Flynn (D-Scranton) said.

"Because this isn't a question of if …people will die. People will die, children, elderly will die,” Flynn said of potential closures.

In a statement previously emailed to WVIA, a CHS spokesperson said: “We are exploring options for the future of Commonwealth Health and have engaged in conversations with state and local leaders to ensure all possible options are fully considered."

Lori Schmidt, a cardiac rehabilitation nurse at Wilkes-Barre General, spoke out against CHS on Dec. 16.
Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America
Lori Schmidt, a cardiac rehabilitation nurse at Wilkes-Barre General, spoke out against CHS on Dec. 16.

Like Flynn, workers and advocates said the impact of losing the two hospitals would be devastating for the region.

Joanna Rosenhein, community engagement specialist at the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Health Access Network, said the closure of Regional alone would push demand for patient beds in Lackawanna County’s hospitals 25% above available capacity.

State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski (D-Wilkes-Barre) criticized CHS for already long emergency room wait times, which several healthcare professionals at the meeting said can reach eight, 10 — and in one recent case for two ICU patients, 24 hours in the emergency room.

“What is this about — money? Or life and death? I think the answer is pretty clear. It's about money …” Pashinski said.

Emma Mangel, a Regional ICU nurse and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania chapter president, said she and her colleagues have worked hard to serve their patients and will continue to fight to keep the hospitals open.

"The people that I work with, we’re not ready to give it up. I mean, we are going tooth and nail, fighting for this community," Mangel said.

Local elected officials and healthcare representatives speak out against CHS after its failure to secure a buyer for Wilkes-Barre and Scranton's hospitals on Dec. 16
Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America
Local elected officials and healthcare representatives speak out against CHS after its failure to secure a buyer for Wilkes-Barre and Scranton's hospitals on Dec. 16

"We need to take care of these families," she said.

Kosierowski praised the work of the hospitals' staffs.

"We are really, really proud of what we do here, and you should be proud of who you take care of, and the patients that you send out to the world,” she said.

Isabela Weiss is a storyteller turned reporter from Athens, GA. She is WVIA News's Rural Government Reporter and a Report for America corps member. Weiss lives in Wilkes-Barre with her fabulous cats, Boo and Lorelai.

You can email Isabella at isabelaweiss@wvia.org
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