Council resolution seeks suspension of hospital’s unit closing

Council also will consider garbage rate increase

WARREN -- Warren City Council will consider a resolution at this week's Tuesday meeting opposing the decision of Mercy Health to end labor and delivery services at St. Joseph Warren Hospital and consolidate deliveries at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital.

"Council strongly opposes the elimination of labor and delivery services at St. Joseph Warren Hospital and urges Mercy Health to reconsider and pursue feasible staffing, physician coverage, partnership and operational alternatives to preserve local deliveries," the proposed resolution states.

It asks MercyHealth to "suspend implementation (of the closing) until it publicly meets with (Warren) City Council, county officials, clinicians, emergency responders and residents, discloses the financial and staffing reasons for its decision and alternatives considered and meaningfully evaluates public concerns."

It asks for MercyHealth to provide information to the public on travel times, high-risk pregnancies, maternal and infant safety, emergency response, severe weather, transportation inequities and "continuity of care, including the impacts on the county's most vulnerable families."

It asks the hospital system to "first establish and fund coordinated emergency obstetrical and ambulance protocols, transportation assistance and clear patient guidance for urgent labor complications" before closing labor and delivery at St. Joe's.

The legislation also asks for Mercy Health executives to "appear before Council before any closure to answer questions about costs, staffing, alternatives, emergency risks, travel burdens and whether essential local delivery services can be maintained."

The proposed resolution was requested by by council members Greg Greathouse and Helen Rucker. The resolution is likely to be discussed at the full council meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday in City Council Chambers and also at the caucus session adjacent to City Council Chambers starting at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday.

The meetings are being moved to Tuesday instead of the normal Wednesday because of Wednesday's Veteran's Day holiday.

CRITICAL SERVICE

The proposed resolution states that the closure would deprive "Warren and Trumbull County families of a critical service" and force patients to travel "approximately 30 miles and up to 30 to 40 minutes under ordinary conditions, while mothers in outlying parts of Trumbull County may travel more than 40 miles."

It adds that "snow, ice, traffic and nighttime emergencies can lengthen those journeys," and "premature labor, hemorrhage, preeclampsia, fetal distress and other obstetrical emergencies can arise without warning." The proposed legislation states that "additional travel may delay time-sensitive treatment and place mothers and vulnerable newborns at greater risk."

It notes that "families without reliable transportation, single parents and households facing childcare and missed work will bear a disproportionate burden, and prior loss of delivery services at Trumbull Regional Medical Center makes this closure especially troubling."

The proposed legislation mentions the statement Mercy Health made Oct. 28 at the time it announced the closure -- that Elizabeth Boardman Hospital would offer enhanced "specialized maternal and neonatal resources" after the St. Joe's facility closes in early December.

But the resolution states that "those benefits do not eliminate the need for timely access to emergency obstetrical care close to home."

The proposed resolution states that Mercy Health's "finances and staffing responsibilities deserve consideration, (but) the administrative convenience and consolidation savings cannot be the only considerations when mothers and babies' lives are at stake. A mother cannot schedule an emergency, and a premature baby cannot wait for a convenient delivery location."

If approved, the resolution would be transmitted promptly to Mercy Health leadership, Ohio Gov Mike DeWine, the Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, the Trumbull County Commissioners and area legislators, it states.

MAYOR FRANKLIN

At the start of the Oct. 28 Warren City Council meeting, Warren Mayor Doug Franklin expressed many similar thoughts about the proposed closing, which he said he had learned about only several hours earlier.

“My immediate thoughts and highest concern always goes straight to our expectant mothers and their families,” he said. “Think about this: Knowing that the families now will have to travel approximately 30 miles south to Boardman Hospital to deliver their babies safely.

“It’s really disturbing to me — 30 to 40-minute down Route 11, (Interstate) 680, perhaps during a snowstorm, maybe expectant mothers in labor. That just concerns me, deeply, and I’m sure it concerns all of you.”

Franklin also expressed his happiness that Mercy Health was going to expand its Tod Avenue urgent care facility to provide pregnancy resources. He said he was "placing immense hope and focus in the new program that is planned at Tod Avenue location right here in Warren."

He said it will be a "holistic community center approach to care, that brings expectant mothers, fathers and healthcare providers together, not just for quick checkups, but for continuous education, peer connection and hands-on preparation."

He said it will provide "continuous prenatal care, health monitoring, mental health resources and group bonding so no mom walks through the process alone." He said it has a program for fathers. He said the program will serve as a "critical anchor."

Franklin said city officials are "actively engaging with MercyHealth leadership, regional transit "partners" and local healthcare advocates to address transportation barriers, ensure clear emergency routing and guarantee seamless continuity of care."

He added, "As you know, Warren has always been a city defined by resilience in caring for one another." He said he wanted "expectant mothers and growing families out there to know 'You are not navigating this alone. We will continue working every single day to ensure you have the safe, dignified and loving care you and your children deserve."

On the night of the announcement of the closure of St. Joe's labor and delivery, Trumbull County Commissioner Rick Hernandez said the announcement was "definitely not a good situation. It's very disheartening." He said officials "had a lot of questions, but the president of the hospital, Charlotte Gardiner, had just pretty much said, 'We do not like it. We do not like what we have to do. But unfortunately, if we can't get doctors, we can't continue the program.’"

Mercy Health's news release announcing the closure stated that the decision followed a "careful evaluation of the long-term healthcare needs of the region and ongoing OB-GYN physician workforce challenges affecting healthcare organizations nationwide."

It added that "After exploring a variety of options, Mercy Health determined that integrating deliveries at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital provides the strongest foundation for sustainable, coordinated maternity care while improving access to specialized resources.”

GARBAGE COLLECTION ORDINANCE

Another item on the Tuesday council agenda is an ordinance related to two proposed versions of a rate increase for garbage collection services by the the Warren Environmental Services Department.

Council members discussed giving a first reading to the proposed ordinance at Tuesday's council meeting and voting on the measure at the second council meeting of the month, which will take place either Nov. 23 or Nov. 24. Thanksgiving is Nov. 26.

At last Wednesday's council's Health and Welfare Committee meeting, council members and officials heard two proposals that would increase the price for garbage collection for the first time since 2021.

Both proposals from the city's engineering consulting firm would increase the price about $10 spread out over the next five years, starting with 2027.

The price for customers in city limits would rise from $17.37 per month now to $22.06 in 2027, $25.37 in 2028, $26.64 in 2029, $27.44 in 2030 and $27.26 in 2031.

For customers outside of the city, the price would rise from $18 now to $25.20 in 2027, $30.24 in 2028, $33.26 in 2029, $34.26 in 2030 and $35.29 in 2031.

If city council chooses an option that includes increased fees for people using more than one garbage tote, the price per month would be lower. Then the cost for people in the city would rise from $17.37 this year to $20.84 in 2027, $22.93 in 2028, $24.07 in 2029, $25.28 in 2030, and $26.54 in 2031.

The price for customers from outside of the city would see their price rise from $18 now to $23.40 in 2027, $26.91 in 2028, $29.06 in 2029, $30.52 in 2030, and $32.04 in 2031.