Northside Hospital ends some services in advance of closing
The phasing out of North Side Medical Center in Youngstown is well underway.
The phasing out of North Side Medical Center in Youngstown is well underway.
Some services have already ended in advance of the hospital closing on September 20.
Early Monday workers were covering up signs outside the facility.
As of 6 a.m. Monday the hospital was no longer accepting ambulances or admissions in the emergency department and in the labor and delivery unit. That means there is no longer a birthing center in the city and no babies will be born in Youngstown.
The more than 400 member nurses union ratified a separation agreement last week. The union says some members have found jobs at other area hospitals also operated by Stewart Health.
Management says not enough patients were choosing North Side, that utilization had dropped 70 percent in the last decade, and on any given day four out of five beds were empty.
The hospital will officially close at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday.
In conjunction with the closing of North Side, merchants along Belmont Avenue are promoting Shop Liberty Day.
The businesses want people to still shop in Liberty even when they are no longer going to and from the hospital.
"We want them to know that Liberty is strong, that we're all sticking together and want them to know that we're not going anywhere we'll still be here," said Frank Occhibove of Jimmy's Italian Deli.
"We're asking all the merchants to do $5 specials, $5 representing the 500 people who are losing their jobs when North Side closes," said Jack Kravitz of Kravitz Delicatessen.
The hospital says any remaining patients will be transfer by 5 p.m. on Wednesday and the last nurses will leave their jobs at 6 p.m.
