WARREN, Ohio — As the threat of permanent closure for the Trumbull Regional Medical Center loomed over the city, it is now dissipating as an interim operator has taken over, and a faith-based medical group is working towards long-term ownership.
News 5 first told you about the potential shutdown of Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Center in August.
The closure was slated to lay off nearly 1,000 workers due to Steward Healthcare, the now former owner of Trumbull and Hillside, filing bankruptcy in May of this year.
Hundreds of employees and their loved ones took to the front lawn of Trumbull in late August to express their frustration over the closure.
“Save our hospital,” dozens chanted.
“I was saddened and a little upset. I feel we need our hospital,” longtime Warren resident Daniella May said on Thursday.
There is another local medical facility nearby: Saint Joseph’s Warren Hospital.
But soccer dads like Rick Brummer said even that wasn’t enough.
“My son, three weeks ago, got kicked in the eye playing soccer and my sister works at Saint Joe’s. She said if he’s not bleeding or blind, take him to Akron, so at 10 o’clock at night we drove him to Akron because we couldn’t go to one of our local hospitals,” he said.
Brummer recalled around 60 people in the waiting room and a several-hour wait time to be seen. It was during a time that Trumbull Regional wasn’t accepting new patients, he added.
“If it’s not a stab wound, a gunshot wound, or you’re having a heart attack – you’re driving to Youngstown or Cleveland or Akron,” Brummer explained.
Trumbull was slated to shut down by Friday, Sept. 20 and even started diverting EMS to other medical facilities. But not anymore.
In a turn of events, Insight Health System has taken over as the interim non-owner operator of both Trumbull and Hillside, effective Sept. 11.
The owner of the land in which those two medical facilities sit, Medical Properties Trust said in a statement on its website, “Throughout Steward’s lengthy restructuring process, our focus has been on supporting efforts to bring quality replacement operators into each of these facilities.”
Medical Properties Trust added it has “severed” its relationship with Steward.
Now, the question stands – who will take over as the permanent owner of Trumbull and Hillside? That answer is still to be determined, but there is a medical group working around the clock to make it happen.
Yates Medical Group, LLC CEO Benjamin Yates told News 5 he has been working to acquire both properties since May. Yates is also working to purchase Sharon Regional Medical Center in Pennsylvania. It was also owned by Steward.
Yates has a connection to Trumbull as he held a previous residency with the hospital.
Yates Medical Group has since received support from Pennsylvania Congressman Mike Kelly in the acquisition inquiry.
“I’m not in this for a few years. I’m in this for the long run, long haul,” Yates stated.
In a press release, Yates Medical Group, LLC explained it’s trying to not only purchase the two buildings in Warren, but also the land.
However, Yates said his company has been hit with one obstacle after another, including Steward requesting $1 million within 24 hours in order to stop its summer announcement of the shutdown.
“I beg your pardon,” said Yates. “That would take a miracle.”
But he said he got the money together, but their plans were derailed, and the announcement of shutdown was pushed out later in August rather than July.
Another delay in acquisition, according to a letter to Steward provided to News 5, is the lack of information needed to perform Yates Medical Group’s “due diligence” over the assets and to raise funding.
The letter states Yates Medical Group made numerous attempts to get in contact with Steward but always met a dead end.
“Yates Medical Group remains the only organization with the capital and resources ready to purchase the land and operate the hospitals,” a press release stated.
“The ultimate goal is to help people, help the community, save the hospitals,” Yates said.
Yates stated he’s not in the business of acquiring the hospital to turn a profit, but he wants to continue quality healthcare and make sure those who work at the hospitals from janitorial to doctoral stay employed.
Yates Medical Group has submitted an offer to acquire Trumbull, Hillside, and Sharon.
As of last weekend, the offers submitted has increased on both Trumbull and Hillside.
“It was almost like I had to sweeten the pot to try and get this through and that's why I increased our offer,” said Yates. “We've gone through the dirt and the mud in the trenches and fighting the war. It's like we've come to the end like the peace treaty, and I just wanted to be like, ‘Can we sign?’”
News 5 requested a copy of the increased offer, but Yates said his attorney advised him not to do so at this time.
Yates said he has heard from Medical Properties Trust since submitting the latest offer, but nothing has been finalized yet.
“We are trying to work through it right now. It's going to take a little time to get the nitty gritties figured out as to how it can be done,” he said. “It's still a very fluid situation. Literally day by day is how I take it.”
News 5 reached out to Medical Properties Trust Thursday afternoon but did not hear back prior to publication.
As for May and Brummer, it’s music to their ears to hear the potential for a long-time owner of Trumbull is brewing.
“To have a local hospital back is wonderful,” Brummer said.
“That would be wonderful news if they could make that deal happen to save our hospital. It’s helped the community out greatly,” May added.
News 5 will continue to follow through.
