MASSILLON, Ohio -- A group of nurses joined together Tuesday morning with local leaders like Dennis Kucinich to fight the closure of Massillon's Affinity Medical Center.
We streamed the press conference, which you can watch in its entirety here:
"This is an unwarranted closure that will cause enormous suffering, especially in the midst of a severe opioid crisis that has had a huge impact on the community," warned Jean Ross, RN, co-president of National Nurses United, the largest U.S. union and professional association of RNs.
A closure would also "have potential life threatening effects with the loss of a hospital that provides critical cardiac care services that will not be easily replaced in a rural community with limited public transportation options for low income, senior residents," Ross said.
The hospital's closure was announced last week citing “a challenging regulatory environment and increasing financial pressures.” Its final day is slated for Feb. 4.
Kucinich, who just filed to run for Ohio governor, was there to show his support. He tweeted Monday: #SaveAffinity.
