St. Francis Medical Center, a teaching hospital in Trenton, N.J., has been struggling financially for years, and it will close if a purchase agreement for the facility receives regulatory approval, according to NJ Advance Media.
The hospital, which was the first hospital in Trenton and founded nearly 150 years ago, is part of Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health. In January, Capital Health, based in Pennington, N.J., entered into a definitive agreement to acquire St. Francis from Trinity. If the proposed transaction receives regulatory approval, many services would shift from St. Francis to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, which is two miles away. Other services would transition to new ambulatory and emergency care facilities.
Regarding the transition of services and planned closure, a hospital spokesperson told the Philadelphia Business Journal that engineering studies show St. Francis Medical Center is not viable for long-term use.
The purpose of the transaction is to "preserve services that would otherwise be lost," Capital Health told NJ Advance Media.
Some local leaders are expressing concern about the hospital's closure and how that will impact access to services.
"The area is comprised of mostly Hispanics and families with borderline incomes. Where will they go now? How will they be serviced?" Trenton City Council President Kathy McBride said in a statement to NJ Advance Media.
Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora also expressed concerns.
"We used to actually have three hospitals. Now we're down to two," he said. "And if they close their doors, we'll just have one."
Read the full NJ Advance Media article here.