These days, the houses are mounted edge-up and empty, oversized lots surrounding Huron Hospital, which was built on part of the former domain of John d. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil. As residents in other areas with population decline, this district, largely African-American, relied on the hospital as a safe haven. Residents worry about crime and the absence of a grocery store.
With losses mounting and declining strongly patients admitted, the Cleveland Clinic, which holds the Hurons and the other eight community hospitals, announced Monday that it would close the 211-bed hospital, a much smaller family health centre opened in its place.
The decision by one of the nation leading health systems to close a hospital district, once a relatively rare event, reflects a harsh new reality likely to play across the country and hundreds other hospitals that cannot afford more empty beds or wings and medical services not used. The Federal law of health, which is likely to reduce the payments for hospital care, and demographic changes and a reduction in the dependence on hospitals, converge towards a death knell for long-term health care facilities. While many hospitals is purchased and converted to clinics or other health centers care, much is likely to be closed.
"I think that we will see much of this activity over the next three to five years," said Chas Roades, head of research for the Advisory Board Company, a company that works with hospitals.
Closing a hospital remains an extremely difficult proposal, with the possibility of a strong reaction from community leaders and politicians, who are opposed the move, as well as the threat of local physicians who send their patients to competitors.
Announcement of the clinic was followed quickly by denunciations of community leaders.
"It goes without saying that I am very disappointed," said representative Marcia l. Fudge, a Democrat, who added that she was concerned about health systems choosing to get rid of the hospitals in communities of need. "Care goes beyond dollars and cents.".
Cleveland officials, who had already upset by closing trauma unit, say that they were blind-sided and spoke of a possible legal action, according to a statement made by the city of Cleveland.
"He rips the soul of the community," said Gary a. Norton Jr., the Mayor of East Cleveland. He added that residents were left without the services of care and hospital for emergency services 24 hours a day.
Dr. Delos M. Cosgrove, the Chief Executive of the Cleveland Clinic, defended the decision and stressed the fact that the clinic was not abandoning East Cleveland. Huron had already lost its trauma centre, nursing education and its separate medical intensive care unit and was "really exceeded its useful lifetime", he said in an interview.
Apart from the maintenance of medical care point to the main campus of the clinic, health system needs also to concentrate services in community hospitals less, where they will have the kind of volume and expertise in the delivery of quality care, he added. He said "When we took the hospital, we have registered for this community,".
Clinic estimates that it will continue to lose as much as $ 8 million for operation of the Centre for family health in Huron, which is costs about $ 25 million to build and is expected to open in October.
At a time where the health sector is one of the few that has gradually added jobs, as the rest of the economy continues to struggle, closure of any hospital is a major blow. Huron hospital is the largest employer in East Cleveland, and the city is to lose about $700,000 per year in tax revenues, even with the addition of the Health Centre. The clinic said he will offer employment to a current employee and plans to work with officials to find ways to compensate for the loss of income.
"I think that the difficult thing for us to understand and try us, is the feeling of abandonment." It is true, said Dr. Gus Kious, a family physician who runs Huron and saw the decline accelerating in recent years. Admissions for acute care fell below 7,000 in 2009 of about 8,000 and was projected to fall below 6,000 this year.
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By David L. Cowen
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