In an email to staff from COO Julie Ross, obtained by the newspaper, the hospital attributed the decision to efforts to “prioritize patient care” and “refocus resources and energy on the care and delivery of acute medicine.”
The hospital is working to relocate long-term care facility residents and assist employees with finding other jobs, Ms. Ross said, according to The Intelligencer.
The long-term care and skilled nursing facility “will remain fully staffed while placement arrangements are being coordinated to ensure quality care for the residents and appropriate support for their families and caregivers,” she added.
The newspaper reported that East Ohio Regional is also urging employees to reach out to human resources if they are interested in open jobs listed on the company’s “careers” page on its website.
The move comes roughly a week after employees lost health insurance coverage due to “financial obligations not being met” by East Ohio Regional, according to an email from the payer obtained by The Intelligencer.
Employees were also notified by Chief Medical Officer David Shaffer, MD, Feb. 24 that the hospital would be meeting with the Belmont County auditor to “figure out the issues regarding the backdated taxes,” according to a Feb. 26 report from the Herald-Star.
“I am doing everything I can to make sure that everybody continues to have a job here at East Ohio Regional Hospital,” Dr. Shaffer said, according to the newspaper.
The hospital also experienced payroll delays over the last year, once in August and again in December. Hospital officials attributed the August delay to an issue with the bank that resulted in a delay in processing its wire transfer to its payroll company, and the December delay to an error by the hospital’s payroll company.
An exact date for the closure was not provided. Becker’s has reached out to East Ohio Regional and will update this story if more information is received.