Sharon Regional closes emergency department, will suspend all services by Friday

Sharon Regional Hospital shut its emergency department at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The hospital announced earlier Wednesday evening that it would suspend all hospital operations by week's end, according to WFMJ. Officials blamed the early closure on an unexpected staffing shortage and said the department would stay closed until further notice. People with a medical emergency were advised to call 911 or go to another nearby facility.

WFMJ reported that Peter Bastone, who leads Tenor Health and serves as interim CEO of Sharon Regional, said the hospital is suspending services while it "undertakes a restructuring designed to establish a more sustainable, cost-effective clinical footprint focused on the services most needed by the community". The suspension covers broader acute care and outpatient operations, along with the emergency department, according to WFMJ. Everything will be closed to the public by 8 a.m. Friday, November 6, the station reported. Inpatients will be stabilized and moved elsewhere for ongoing care.

The hospital had already halted some services, including the critical heart care unit, and stopped taking new inpatients, WFMJ reported. Staff have reported repeated payroll delays, which the hospital says stem from a lack of funding, according to WFMJ. Bastone said, "We recognize the impact this transition will have on our patients and employees, and we remain committed to working toward a sustainable path forward for Sharon Regional so that we can continue to support the community," according to WFMJ. The Herald reported that Sharon City Manager Bob Fiscus said he hopes the restructuring leads to a stronger, more sustainable Sharon Regional. "Sharon Regional is too important to the Shenango Valley to give up on," Fiscus said, according to WFMJ. The Herald also reported that the service wind-down creates another major hurdle for the community. Its headline called the hospital's impending closure "another challenge for community".