CLEARFIELD – A group of concerned citizens asked for leadership from the Clearfield County Commissioners in order to help save their local hospital.
At Tuesday’s commissioners’ meeting, local attorney, John Sughrue, approached the board on behalf of the group of concerned citizens over recent changes at Penn Highlands Clearfield Hospital.
Sughrue presented the commissioners with a petition with more than 1,200 signatures from people who are concerned about the future of the hospital.
He also presented a six-page letter “on behalf of a large number of county citizens” who are “very concerned about the diminishment of hospital and medical services.”
According to him, there are approximately 20,000 to 25,000 people in the hospital’s service area. He said they are “slowly being deprived of the hospital and medical services that they need and deserve.”
“On behalf of our community, we are asking you to step up and provide a leadership role concerning this problem,” said Sughrue. “If the present course of action is continued by Penn Highlands Healthcare, the Clearfield Hospital will soon cease to exist.”
He alleged that the board at Penn Highlands Clearfield Hospital doesn’t have any power. He said decisions are made for the Clearfield branch by a corporate Penn Highlands Healthcare board, which he also alleged acts in secrecy.
He said Penn Highlands Healthcare has closed the Intensive Care Unit at the Clearfield branch, and it can’t any longer admit seriously sick individuals. “If the hospital cannot serve sick people, it ceases to be a hospital,” he said.
In addition, Sughrue said Penn Highlands Healthcare has submitted applications to the state’s Department of Health on two, different occasions to have all surgical procedures shut down by 3:30 p.m. Under that scenario, he said if a patient has surgery and then experiences complications later on, surgeons wouldn’t be able to see the patient after 3:30 p.m.
He then reiterated that Penn Highlands Healthcare operates in secrecy, and the group wants its officials to be transparent with the public. He also stressed this group’s concerns weren’t with the quality of service at the hospital but with decisions being handed down by Penn Highlands Healthcare’s corporate leadership.
Sughrue said the commissioners strive to bring economic development opportunities to Clearfield County. “But what do you have to sell if a community has no hospital?” he asked. “The [Penn Highlands Clearfield Hospital] is critical to this area. It should be treated fairly by the Penn Highlands Healthcare system.”
Commissioners John A. Sobel and Mark B. McCracken said they shared the same concerns as Sughrue and the group of citizens. The commissioners said they were ready to assist and hoped other elected officials joined the effort.