Fulton hospitals closing could hurt economy, health BY LAUREL BLACK lblack@paducahsun The closure of Fultons hospital may strike a blow to the health and economy of the region where it has operated for more than 20 years. Parkway Regional Hospital, which employs about 192 people, announced this week that it will end its acute inpatient and emergency room services on March 31. Residents now face the prospect of losing their hospital and, in some cases, their jobs, while the city of Fulton will lose close to 20 percent of its revenue. A lot of people are going to suffer over this, said Fulton County Judge-Executive David Gallagher. Community Health Services, which owns Parkway Regional Hospital, said in a news release that Hillview Medical Clinic in Fulton will relocate to adjacent South Fulton, Tennessee. The county government expects that two other regional clinics - one in Hickman and another in Clinton in Hickman County - may close, as well. But Parkways ambulance service, Tri-City Ambulance, recently agreed to extend its contract for a year starting on Jan. 1, Gallagher said. That service is subsidized on a voluntary basis by the residents of Hickman, Fulton, Fulton County and South Fulton through utility billing. County and city officials said theyll do what they can to ensure residents receive timely care and to lessen the impact of losing an unknown number of jobs. Well focus on the ambulance service. We need to make sure we maintain that. And well start looking for answers beyond the (one) year contract. If we know clinics are leaving, well be looking to replace them as soon as possible, Gallagher said. After Parkway Regional closes, the next closest hospital for Fulton residents will be at least 12 miles away, in Tennessee in either Martin or Union City. The Union City hospital is about 15 miles from Hickman. Jackson Purchase Medical Center in Mayfield is about a 25-minute drive from Fulton. Some of the doctors, nurses and other medical workers are expected to be able to relocate to other hospitals, but employees who provide other services, such as janitors, bookkeepers and cafeteria workers, may be left jobless. For the last three months, weve been working diligently, trying to find a solution (to the job loss), said Eddie Crittendon, executive director for economic development for Fulton and Hickman counties. Were going to continue working on that ... and hopefully be able to soften the blow for some people who will no longer have a job. The hospitals statement said a decline in population and changes in inpatient admission guidelines have caused admissions to plummet by 50 percent, from 1,400 in 2010 to about 700 this year. Emergency room visits have also dropped from a high of 6,000 in 2012 to about 5,300 this year. Maintaining a full-service hospital for the current demand from acute and emergency patients is not sustainable, John Ballard, chief executive officer of the hospital, said in the statement. Gallagher confirmed that the countys population has continued to fall in recent years; its now around 6,800. He added that Fultons combination of a low population with a high percentage of people on Medicare or Medicaid isnt good for for-profit hospitals like Parkway. Community Health Services is a profit-making organization, so it was a business decision, he said. I think youre going to see (rural hospitals closing) elsewhere. Its just a sign of the times. Fulton City Manager Cubb Stokes said that unlike the county, the city has maintained its population of roughly 3,000 for several years. At the moment, the hospital provides about $255,000 to the city through property and payroll taxes and water and gas utilities. Thats 18 percent of Fultons revenue, Stokes said. Its not good news, but well weather the storm. Well do what we can to replace those jobs - thats our immediate concern, he said. They (Parkway Regional Hospital) have given us 25 years of great service and have supported the community. Hopefully someone will step up and take their place in some form or fashion. We wish them well.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 15:49:41 +0000
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