LORAIN, Ohio — In a joint decision from Mercy Health and MetroHealth, the systems are ending a Level III Trauma program at a Lorain hospital.
This week, Mercy Health announced it won’t be seeking re-verification of the trauma center at its Lorain Hospital. Since 2019, a partnership with MetroHealth has ensured enough resources to provide 24-hour emergency care for mild to moderate trauma cases.
“MetroHealth has been a great partner, and we’re thankful for their team’s commitment to our patients since we came together in 2019. Mercy Health will continue to provide exceptional emergency care to our patients, just as we have since we opened the doors to Mercy Health – Lorain Hospital,” said Mercy Health Lorain president Dr. John Luellen in a press release.
The healthcare systems emphasized that its Lorain Hospital emergency department will remain open, and patients experiencing emergency or life-threatening symptoms can still receive care.
But some in Lorain County worry the change will complicate how they’re treated for serious medical conditions.
“It upsets me because I think that’s more of a business [decision] than a personal care idea. I think they just can’t keep the hospital staffed,” said Beth Jonap, a Mercy Health patient. “What would happen is you would get life-flighted somewhere else and nobody wants that.”
Her friend Sharon Kopetz added, “If you’re having a heart attack, that’s very… not good.”
Mercy Health declined to elaborate on procedures for transferring patients or whether staffing or finances contributed to the decision to end the trauma program.
The American College of Surgeons (ACS), which validates the resources necessary to qualify a trauma center, says a Level 3 trauma program provides definitive care to patients with mild to moderate injuries and has processes in place for the prompt evaluation, initial management, and transfer of patients whose needs might exceed the resources available.
“Keeping that staff available all the time is really hard to do for a smaller hospital,” explained J.B. Silvers, a professor of healthcare finance at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management.
He said many healthcare systems have experienced staffing and financial challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic. He speculated both, in addition to the demand for services, may have contributed to the trauma program’s end.
“If you have that only occasionally, then it just is too expensive to have that standby staff there all the time,” Silvers said.
ACS says Level III trauma centers typically serve communities that may not have timely access to Level I or II trauma care. The organization says the trauma centers often serve more remote and/or rural populations.
The next closest trauma centers to Lorain are in Elyria, Cleveland and Sandusky.
MetroHealth told News 5 it will continue accepting transfers of patients who require a higher acuity of care than Mercy can provide.
Acting MetroHealth president and CEO, Dr. Christine Alexander-Rager said in a press release, “MetroHealth is proud to be Greater Cleveland’s most experienced Level 1 Adult Trauma Center, and our dedication to providing the highest level of emergency care has not changed. We will work closely with the caregivers at Mercy Health to ensure a smooth transition.”
Despite assurances that quality emergency care will remain available, some in Lorain County told News 5 they felt like they would be losing a resource.
“Everybody needs help and more and more people need help,” Kopetz said.
Jonap added, “It’s changed a lot. A lot of it’s for the good… but a lot of it is not so much.”
The trauma program will officially end at Mercy Health’s Lorain Hospital on Oct. 15.
Mercy Health said it has improved care in other ways throughout Lorain County, including hiring more primary care physicians and surgeons and expanding its specialty services.
