Here are eight hospitals that closed or announced they would close in 2011. The entries are listed in chronological order.
1. In March, Roanoke Health Care Authority voted to close Randolph Medical Center in Roanoke, Ala. Prior to the vote, the healthcare authority was in the midst of a 30-day bidding process to find a buyer for the cash-strapped hospital. It was later made known that the hospital could not continue operating and was closed before the 30-day bidding process ended.
2. In May, the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board approved the closure of Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital in East St. Louis, Ill. Sauget, Ill.-based Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation, which operated the hospital, struggled to keep the hospital's doors open and started phasing out service lines in 2008. It was also announced that an urgent care facility would open nearby to help maintain healthcare access.
3. St. Francis Health, with four locations throughout Indiana, announced in June that it would close its Beech Grove campus by February. The hospital campus is working with the city to rebuild the site. In the meantime, Beech Grove services will be transferred to St. Francis' main Indianapolis campus.
4. Southwest Alabama Medical Center in Thomasville abruptly closed its doors in August due to the owner's inability to pay bills and emergency services staff. At the time of the initial report, the hospital had shuttered its inpatient services, and the city was funding the hospital's emergency operations.
5. The Cleveland Clinic's Huron Hospital officially closed its doors in August. When hospital officials announced the closure in June, Huron Hospital was operating at roughly 50 percent of its capacity and had lost $77 million over the previous 10 years. The decision sparked intense public opposition and led to a lawsuit filed by the cities of Cleveland and East Cleveland. The cities later withdrew the lawsuit after an agreement was reached to keep trauma services available until the opening of the new Cleveland Clinic Huron Community Health Center.
6. The last patients of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., were transferred to Bethesda, Md.-based National Naval Medical Center in August. The two hospitals officially merged in September as part of a larger national mandate to close or consolidate military facilities.
7. In November, Maxis Health System, parent company of Marian Community Hospital in Carbondale, Pa., announced the hospital will shutter by the end of February. Efforts to keep Marian Community open — including reducing the number of beds from 70 to 35 — have been unsuccessful. The hospital's multimillion-dollar annual losses were attributed to lower demand for hospital services.
8. In December, Hawaii Medical Center announced in bankruptcy court that it could not reach a sale price for its two hospitals with Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare Services, forcing closure of its two hospitals in Honolulu and Ewa Beach. HMC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June and transferred ownership of its hospitals to St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii in Honolulu. In November, Prime became HMC's lender and started working with HMC on a possible sale transaction, which never came to fruition.
1. In March, Roanoke Health Care Authority voted to close Randolph Medical Center in Roanoke, Ala. Prior to the vote, the healthcare authority was in the midst of a 30-day bidding process to find a buyer for the cash-strapped hospital. It was later made known that the hospital could not continue operating and was closed before the 30-day bidding process ended.
2. In May, the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board approved the closure of Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital in East St. Louis, Ill. Sauget, Ill.-based Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation, which operated the hospital, struggled to keep the hospital's doors open and started phasing out service lines in 2008. It was also announced that an urgent care facility would open nearby to help maintain healthcare access.
3. St. Francis Health, with four locations throughout Indiana, announced in June that it would close its Beech Grove campus by February. The hospital campus is working with the city to rebuild the site. In the meantime, Beech Grove services will be transferred to St. Francis' main Indianapolis campus.
4. Southwest Alabama Medical Center in Thomasville abruptly closed its doors in August due to the owner's inability to pay bills and emergency services staff. At the time of the initial report, the hospital had shuttered its inpatient services, and the city was funding the hospital's emergency operations.
5. The Cleveland Clinic's Huron Hospital officially closed its doors in August. When hospital officials announced the closure in June, Huron Hospital was operating at roughly 50 percent of its capacity and had lost $77 million over the previous 10 years. The decision sparked intense public opposition and led to a lawsuit filed by the cities of Cleveland and East Cleveland. The cities later withdrew the lawsuit after an agreement was reached to keep trauma services available until the opening of the new Cleveland Clinic Huron Community Health Center.
6. The last patients of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., were transferred to Bethesda, Md.-based National Naval Medical Center in August. The two hospitals officially merged in September as part of a larger national mandate to close or consolidate military facilities.
7. In November, Maxis Health System, parent company of Marian Community Hospital in Carbondale, Pa., announced the hospital will shutter by the end of February. Efforts to keep Marian Community open — including reducing the number of beds from 70 to 35 — have been unsuccessful. The hospital's multimillion-dollar annual losses were attributed to lower demand for hospital services.
8. In December, Hawaii Medical Center announced in bankruptcy court that it could not reach a sale price for its two hospitals with Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare Services, forcing closure of its two hospitals in Honolulu and Ewa Beach. HMC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June and transferred ownership of its hospitals to St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii in Honolulu. In November, Prime became HMC's lender and started working with HMC on a possible sale transaction, which never came to fruition.