Coalinga (Calif.) Regional Medical Center permanently closed its emergency department May 3 as a result of staffing shortages, reports the Fresno Bee.
While the ED closed over staffing concerns, the hospital's 99-bed skilled nursing facility and rural health clinic are still open, Terry Murphy, RN, Coalinga's director of patient services, told the Fresno Bee.
The ED closure comes days after the hospital board of directors voted to close the entire hospital, including the skilled nursing facility and rural health clinic, by June 15 because of significant financial losses.
Coalinga CEO Wayne Allen said in a statement regarding the hospital closure, "some healthcare services may close earlier than the pending closure date because employee/physician staffing and vendor support may not be available." The ED closure is part of this.
The nearest ED to the Coalinga hospital is Adventist Health in Hanford, Calif., which is 40 miles away.