New Memorial Hospital Of York Plan Prompts Traffic, Noise Concerns

Related: Memorial to break ground on replacement hospital.

Memorial Hospital held a public forum at the West Manchester Township building that allowed community members to view the plans for the replacement hospital.

Here are some of their concerns:

Traffic

Deb Kauffman, CEO of White Rose Credit Union attended because her business is located near the new hospital. She is concerned about traffic but hopes the new hospital will bring in some more business.

Will there be speed bumps? Traffic lights? Reduced speed? These are all questions Doreen Lehr had after seeing the photos of the plan because she lives right at the entrance on Roosevelt Road. She says during rush hour it takes her five to 10 minutes to get out of her driveway as it is and people speed. They’ll have to expand the road, her husband, Joseph Lehr suggested.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/business/ci_28064340/community-responds-new-memorial-hospital

Sharon Regional Hospital Agrees To For-Profit Buyout

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Mercer County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Gobble, gobble, gobble….CHS is at it again.

A Mercer County health system will be sold to a for-profit Tennessee conglomerate that owns, leases or operates 206 other hospitals in 29 states, according to an agreement announced Thursday.

Sharon Regional Health System said it has reached a definitive agreement to be sold to Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems Inc.

The sales price was not released, but hospital officials said in a news release that Community Health will invest at least $75 million in the hospital in the next five years.

Sharon Regional has about 1,800 workers making it the largest employer in Mercer County, which borders Ohio along Interstate 80. Sharon Regional’s flagship hospital is about 60 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/north/2014/02/06/Sharon-Regional-Hospital-agrees-to-for-profit-buyout/stories/201402060266

PMMC To Consolidate Business Office, Move 30 More Jobs Out Of Pottstown

POTTSTOWN, PA — Pottstown Memorial Medical Center has confirmed that business operations for the hospital and several others owned by Community Health Systems will be consolidated in Easton, moving 30 jobs there.

Hospital spokeswoman Debra Bennis provided the following statement after The Mercury contacted her seeking confirmation of a tip: “Providing patients with quality health care while operating an efficient organization is one of our top priorities.  To keep hospital resources focused on our patients, we are moving our business office functions to a centralized, external office in Easton.  This transition will also enhance operational efficiencies through technological advances for scheduling appointments.  All 30 affected employees are being offered a position with the central business office or another area of our hospital. We value these individuals and appreciate the professionalism they bring to our organization.”

A business office worker who contacted The Mercury, and whose name has been withheld, said the office workers were gathered into a meeting Sept. 11 during which the hospital’s CEO and CFO informed them of the change.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20130919/pmmc-to-consolidate-business-office-move-30-more-jobs-out-of-pottstown

Phoenixville Hospital Furloughs Come On Heels Of $4B Acquisition Deal

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Chester County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Thanks for going there, Evan!  I was complaining about this very thing today.  They have billions to spend on buying more hospitals but then turn around and cut jobs.  Makes no sense to me!  You would think the time to buy would be if you were flush with cash.  Now they will own two hospitals in Lancaster once this deal goes through as well.

PHOENIXVILLE — One day after Pottstown Memorial Medical Center furloughed 30 employees for 90 days, The Mercury has confirmed that similar furloughs occurred at Phoenixville Hospital.

Phoenixville Hospital spokesperson Lori Cunningham confirmed Thursday that the full-time equivalent of 24 employees in “clinical, non-clinical support and administrative departments” have been furloughed.

News of the staff reduction occurs at the same time that the company that owns both hospitals, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems Inc., is planning a $3.9 billion purchase of Florida-based Health Management Associates Inc., which also operates hospitals around the country.

Cunningham said the furloughs at Phoenixville, which she described as “not scheduling a small number of employees in various departments,” have “no definitive time line.  As always, staffing is dependent upon patient volume and clinical needs.”

Read more:   http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130731/NEWS01/130739803/phoenixville-hospital-furloughs-come-on-heels-of-4b-acquisition-deal#full_story

Tennessee Hospital Chain Acquiring Heart Of Lancaster And Lancaster Regional Owner Health Management Associates In $7.6 Billion Deal

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Tennessee-based hospital chain has agreed to buy Health Management Associates for $7.6 billion, it was announced Tuesday.

The acquisition would make Community Health Systems a company with 206 hospitals and 31,000 beds in 29 states.

Among those hospitals would be two local HMA facilities, Lancaster Regional and Heart of Lancaster.

The price includes the assumption of $3.7 billion in HMA debt.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/877230_Tennessee-hospital-chain-acquiring-Heart-of-Lancaster-and-Lancaster-Regional-owner-Health-Management-Associates-in–7-6-billion-deal.html#ixzz2aY1BWRIG

Hospitals Become Key Players In Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Economy

Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After a massive consolidation of the region’s health care industry, Community Health Systems has become the largest private employer in Northeast Pennsylvania.

With about 6,500 employees at eight area hospitals and nonhospital entities, Community Health Systems has even surpassed Tobyhanna Army Depot, which has about 5,400 workers.

“Whenever you have an employer that size, clearly that has a huge impact on the economy, not just for the people we employ, but those folks go out and buy houses and cars and gas,” said Cornelio Catena, CEO of Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and Commonwealth Health, the umbrella group for Community Health Systems’ area hospitals.

“It’s a huge economic contributor to our area.”

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/hospitals-become-key-players-in-region-s-economy-1.1387891

Community Health Systems Changes Name Of Scranton Hospital

For-profit hospital corporation, Community Health Systems (CHS) has changed the name of Mercy Hospital in Scranton.  The new name is Regional Hospital of Scranton.  The other two Mercy locations will be called Tyler Memorial Hospital (Tunkhannock) and Special Care Hospital (Nanticoke).  Mercy Health Partners was a private, Catholic-based hospital system that operated in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton metropolitan area.

CHS also owns Wilkes-Barre General, making it the dominant health care provider in NEPA.

CHS owns Pottstown Memorial Medical Center and Phoenixville Hospital in the western Philadelphia suburbs.

Community Health Systems Buys Up Three More Hospitals In Northeast Pennsylvania

Image via Wikipedia

As residents of Pottstown and Phoenixville know first hand, things change when Community Health Systems (CHS) buys your local hospital.  CHS owns Pottstown Memorial Medical Center and Phoenixville Hospital.

CHS is continuing to expand their presence in Pennsylvania with the purchase of three hospitals in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Metropolitan Area.  CHS, who already owns Wyoming Valley Health Care System since 2009, has entered into an agreement with Mercy Health Partners to purchase Mercy Hospital in Scranton, Mercy Tyler Hospital in Tunkhannock and Mercy Special Care Hospital in Nanticoke.  Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is part of Wyoming Valley Health Care System and already owned by CHS.

The standard CHS rhetoric has followed: hire all employees in good standing at the time of the sale (same position, pay and seniority), CHS promised to invest $68 million in the first five years, set up a community foundation and donate $2 million, maintain the status quo for five years and treat employees with dignity and respect.

All I can say is, based on what happened in Pottstown, things will change.  We narrowly averted a strike because employees were disgruntled, claimed to be overworked and salary/benefits changes were proposed.  CHS does invest in hospital infrastructure, equipment and recruit physicians as promised.

Wyoming Valley Heath Care System in Luzerne County’s largest employer.   http://www.wvhcs.org/About/Pages/About%20Us.aspx