The 700 Sharon Regional Medical Center employees are in limbo, waiting to see when or if the hospital will reopen.

Just days after the doors closed, UPMC held a career fair for employees who were interested in working at the facility. The career fair is aimed at helping those in the community who are facing uncertainty.

“Our goal here today at the career event is just to support our surrounding communities and support the Sharon Regional employees that are going through this time of change,” said Cindy Kozminski, Human Resources director for UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson. 

Those who went to the job fair were helped through the entire application process.

“What we want to do is provide the ability to help them generate a resume if they need to do that, talk about some  interview skills and get them through their application process in order to hopefully provide a little hope and stability in this time of change that’s happening,” said Kozminski.

Nick Abbott, Sharon Regional Medical Center’s chief medical officer, remains hopeful for the hospital's future. Abbott told 21 news Monday he is optimistic about the hospital retaining its staff if the doors reopen in a few days. 

But with each passing day, the risk that staff will land new jobs and not return grows. The employees that are facing uncertainty are weighing their options. 

“It was just so sudden and I don't really think anybody was ready for it,” said Bridget Mazzant, Sharon.

In the final month before closing its doors, UPMC saw a spike in applicants.

“We have seen an increase in our applicant flow. We did have a hiring event the week before Christmas, and we were able to capture nearly 60 new hires since that time,” said Kozminski.

The UPMC in the Greenville and the Shenango Valley campuses have at least 50 more job openings. 

“We're looking for all positions. Our recruitment strategy hasn't really changed, so we're looking at anything from service workers, to maintenance and support services to our clinical positions like registered nurses and even physicians,” said Kozminski.

One Sharon Regional Medical Center nurse told 21 News she's waiting to see what happens with the hospital before looking for other opportunities. For others, that's not an option.

“I'm new and kind of just got started. I wanna keep getting experience and keep learning. I don't want to stop and just wait around,” said Mazzant.

Sharon Regional employees will still be paid until mid-February. 21 News was told employees had meetings about unemployment when the hospital closed.