SENATE COMMITTEE INFORMATIONAL BRIEFING NEXT WEEK
Will Focus on Impact of Hospital Closures: Causes and Effects

 HARRISBURG, June 1 – The Senate Democratic Policy Committee will hold an informational briefing in Harrisburg next week to shed light on the causes and effects of hospital closures in the Commonwealth.

 “Addressing any policy issues that may be influencing our residents access to health care in the Commonwealth is a major concern of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee,” said state Sen. Richard A. Kasunic (D-Fayette), who chairs the committee.

 The informational briefing will bring together representatives from the hospital and health-care industry, along with people who have been impacted by hospital closings. It will be held on Tuesday, June 6 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Room 8E-B East Wing of the state Capitol, Harrisburg.

 “Hospital closures have a significant impact on the local community, both in terms of health-care delivery and economics,” said state Sen. Connie Williams, who has been dealing with the impending closure of a hospital in Norristown, which is located in her legislative district.

 “In the case of Norristown, the health-care facility began as a charity hospital to fulfill the needs of local residents. And with current relocation plans, the hospital will likely be moved to another community, which (because of public transportation issues) would be difficult for many Norristown residents to access for health care and for employment. Beyond that, the hospital was the single largest employer in the community, so losing this employer will significantly impact the local economy.”

 According to the Senators, the decision to close or relocate a hospital often comes down to the bottom line and the ability of the facility to show a profit. In many cases, this means that hospitals will want to locate to more affluent areas where charity care cases are fewer.

 The closing of a hospital can immediately impact the community where it was located and its residents not only through loss of jobs and loss of tax revenue (that can jeopardize the economic stability of the community), but also by placing obstacles in the path of accessing health care, especially for some of the most vulnerable citizens – elderly and low income residents. New problems emerge, such as increased travel time and its effect on patient mortality rates, availability of public transportation to access health care (especially emergency care), and providing pre- and post-natal care close to home.

 Pennsylvania hospitals through direct and indirect employment opportunities contribute almost $21.4 billion in total labor income throughout the Commonwealth. Over half a million employment opportunities exist in Pennsylvania because of hospitals. Pennsylvania hospitals, as employers, provide 275,562 jobs directly. Hospitals also support nearly one additional hospital service related job for each of those jobs.

 In looking at mortality rates, research indicates that the chance of surviving a heart attack decreases an additional 1.25 percent for every 5 minutes of travel time required to access emergency care.

 “When a hospital abandons its community, there is going to be a significant impact,” Williams said. “This briefing will allow the committee to begin to examine the impact that a hospital closing has on a community and possibly suggest state-level policy.”