CLEVELAND — It’s the end of an era in Cleveland as St. Vincent Charity Medical Center closes its Medical Emergency Department and ends inpatient care Friday.
This process comes two months after it was announced that St. Vincent is transitioning to outpatient care.
As this transition takes effect, St. Vincent Charity’s Psychiatric Emergency Department will continue its operation.
“It will provide the same ongoing services and hours under a new name: Psychiatric Emergency Services at St. Vincent Charity Community Health Center,” according to their site.
Preparation for this moment has been underway since the changes were first revealed on Sept. 14.
"St. Vincent Charity Medical Center is transforming from an acute care hospital into an outpatient facility that will be more financially sustainable while continuing to meet the health care needs of the community," their site explains.
St. Vincent says care will continue as follows:
- Outpatient mental health services
- High-quality provision of addiction medicine services through Rosary Hall
- Primary care, internal medicine and specialty clinics
- Urgent care
The changes also left hundreds of St. Vincent employees in search of new jobs.
Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in a previous story on Sept. 15, 2022.
“Since 1865, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center has weathered challenges, including the pandemic through which our caregivers served our patients and community with courage and grace. This deep commitment to serving our community through Catholic health care will continue as we transition to high-quality ambulatory care,” according to a previous statement from Janice G. Murphy, MSN, FACHE, president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System. “This transition puts the hospital on a financially sustainable path forward despite the rapid, significant and ongoing changes in health care today.”
Murphy also addressed the situation during a press conference that day.
“Before the pandemic, we had a certain level of patients every day," Murphy said regarding their decision. "Then after the pandemic, patients started to get care in different areas – more outpatient care, more telehealth care.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- RELATED: St. Vincent Charity Medical Center will continue operating psychiatric emergency department at least into next year
- RELATED: 'This is my life. This is my career': Hundreds of St. Vincent Charity Medical Center employees in search of new jobs after transformation announcement
- RELATED: MetroHealth hosting hiring event for qualified healthcare workers amid St. Vincent Charity Medical Center ending inpatient care
- RELATED: St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland to stop inpatient care as plans for transformation announced
Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in a previous story on Sept. 14, 2022.