Sen. Williams on Hospital Closures

To the Editor:

 What happens when a hospital that has become part of the fabric of a community closes? This question was the basis for a Senate Democratic Policy Committee informational briefing this week in Harrisburg.

 The briefing was scheduled at my request in an effort to not only talk about the likely closure of Montgomery Hospital Medical Center in Norristown,  but also to look at the impact hospital closures have on the people who live in the communities and on the local and state economy.

 The economic impact is somewhat easier to quantify. Hospitals generate almost $21.4 billion in total labor income through direct and indirect employment opportunities across the state. In many areas, including Norristown, the community hospital is among the top three employers. The Montgomery Hospital is the largest single employer in Norristown. According to The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, hospitals contribute $29.8 billion directly to the Pennsylvania economy, $41.1 billion indirectly, for an overall economic impact of $70.9 billion. 

The human cost, although not as easily quantifiable, is even higher. When a hospital closes, the people who live in that community no longer have direct access to life-saving emergency service within minutes of a life-threatening accident or health-care concern; they no longer can simply walk, or ask a neighbor for a ride to access consistent and available primary care, maternity care and pediatrics. One study of emergency care looks at travel time and how it can impact the chances of survival for a heart attack victim. It shows that the chance of surviving a heart attack decreases an additional 1.25 percent for each extra five minutes of travel time required. 

Charity Hospital of Montgomery County (the original hospital in Norristown) opened its doors in 1889 in a vacant school to address the health-care needs of the people of Norristown. Those needs still exist – the need for 24-hour access to emergency care, consistent and available primary care, and a place close to home for maternity care and pediatrics.  

Nearly half of Norristown’s population falls below the poverty line and more than a third of the residents do not have health insurance. Nearly a quarter of Norristown’s population do not have personal vehicles and rely on their ability to either walk or use public transportation to access care (and jobs) at the hospital. 

This is Norristown’s reality and it is gives a snapshot of the potential human cost should the Montgomery Hospital in Norristown close its door. The Times Herald offered residents the opportunity to comment on the need for a full service hospital. 

As one resident wrote of her own obituary: “…died suddenly in need of a full service hospital. She had been walking to her doctor appointments faithfully right down the street from her home until one day the doctor’s office up and left. She will be missed!” 

According to data from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, between 2001 and 2005 in Pennsylvania, 20 hospitals closed, six merged and two discontinued services. 

As I have said since last year when it became obvious that rumors about Montgomery Hospital Medical Center packing up and moving out of Norristown were more than just rumors, I will work with hospital officials, Einstein Healthcare Network and local officials to ensure that Norristown residents are not without access to 24-hour emergency care (at a minimum). I continue to be willing to work with them to consider options that would allow the hospital to remain in Norristown. 

What came out of the policy briefing in Harrisburg this week is that health-care professionals, elected officials and local community organizations and people have one goal – to ensure access to quality health care for every segment of the population. 

A community hospital is much more than just a series of numbers on a balance sheet. It is a life-line to health care, it is a place to turn for help, and it is a place where you can find gainful employment. The hospital is a part of the community. 

Sincerely,
Constance H. Williams
State Senator
17^th District