According the American Hospital Association, there are more than 6,200 hospitals in the United States, with expenses totaling more than $1 trillion annually. Of those hospitals, more than 5,200 are considered community hospitals, processing approximately 34,300,000 admissions each year.
These hospitals are vital to the local economies of their respective communities, and are the first line of defense for even the smallest communities when faced with health threats and emergencies such the current opioid crisis. This is why news of Northside Regional Medical Center’s closing in September was such a shock to the city of Youngstown.
When the Boston-based parent company Steward Health Care announced it was closing the hospital, it was even a shock to several city officials. As well as diverting health care needs to hospitals further out in the region, the closure included layoffs of nearly 400 hospital employees.
What lasting ramifications will this closure have for the community? How will the city address current healthcare trends and concerns now that the hospital has been shuttered?
Join us as a panel of local leaders discuss the change - and what it means for the future of access to healthcare in Youngstown.