SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Healthcare workers and local officials raised signs on Scranton’s City Hall steps in support of finalizing the October 24 agreement deal with Tenor Health Foundation.
The ‘Community Reachout for Regional’ event highlighted protecting quality care and union jobs, with participants distributing signs to rally community support.
The agreement would acquire Commonwealth Health’s hospitals and care sites in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties.
Known for reviving financially challenged hospitals, the Tenor Health Foundation’s agreement could save the Regional Hospital of Scranton, Moses Taylor Hospital, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, and their affiliated sites.
Occupational therapist Corinne Cianfichi said that without the deal, potential closures could threaten essential healthcare services for the community.
“We’re cautiously optimistic that the sale is going to go through. We’re very concerned. It’s been a really difficult year. I’m here for my hospital and all my other coworkers to support them. We really want our hospital stay open. We’re nervous about it,” said Cianfichi.
“We provide critical cardiac care every single day. We’re a stoke-certified hospital. So, if you are not close, you’re going to have a long drive if we close, or if any services get cut. So, we are here because we want to protect these services. We want them to keep them here in Scranton,” said Cianfichi.
Another focus of the gathering was protecting union jobs at Regional Hospitals. A press release from the Regional owner said that “Any job losses at Regional would be devastating for working people in NEPA. There are more than 1,000 jobs at the hospital, contributing $148 million in wages and benefits to local working families.”
Cianfichi echoed this, saying retaining staff is essential to maintaining quality patient care.
“Tenor or whoever is by our hospital to honor our contract, keep our job security. We need to be able to provide care in our community because it is really critically important that this care stays here,” said Cianfichi.
“It’s also of risk to our hospitals closure. So, we need staff to be here. We need them to be paid fairly. Because if you’re not being paid fairly, you’re going to go somewhere else. So, we need to keep everything in the hospital. And we’re just advocating for all health care workers right now,” said Cianfichi.
Regional also noted that they handle 36,000 ER visits a year, and if closed, the care would need to be shifted to other local ERs, although ERs across Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties are already struggling to meet standard service-time benchmarks. Mayor Paige Cognetti emphasized this, saying that regional hospital services must stay open.
“We can’t not have the place where I, Corinne and Bridget, and so many others, have had our babies. We can’t not have a place where our PD and our fire department knows that when there is an accident, that the people that were injured in that accident can get the care immediately, right down the street. We just can’t have it,” said Mayor Paige Cognetti.
The deal isn’t finalized yet, but the fight to save Regional’s services and union jobs goes on.