SCRANTON — Workers at Regional Hospital of Scranton and its Moses Taylor Hospital campus have continued providing compassionate and reliable care in the face of challenges and uncertainty, Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti said in a proclamation honoring health care and other workers there.
The proclamation Cognetti issued Tuesday at City Hall recognizes Nov. 25-30, 2025, as “Gratitude Week for Regional & Moses Taylor Hospital Workers.” It comes as the nonprofit Tenor Health Foundation pursues an acquisition of Regional, Moses Taylor and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital via a pending sale many stakeholders see as a potential lifeline for the financially struggling Scranton facilities.
Tenor signed an agreement last month to purchase the three Commonwealth Health hospitals, as well as associated clinics and outpatient centers, in a transaction subject to regulatory review and contingent on Tenor finalizing funding for the acquisition. Once funding is secured, the transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, Commonwealth said in a late-October news release.
The Tenor development followed months of handwringing over the Scranton hospitals’ uncertain future and came amid pronounced fears they could close absent acquisition by a new buyer. A would-be sale to the nonprofit Woodbridge Healthcare collapsed late last year when WoodBridge failed to secure bond financing to complete that acquisition.
The Woodbridge sale’s collapse prompted a multifront effort to save Regional and Moses Taylor by elected officials at all levels of government, union health care workers, local nonprofits and foundations and other members of the coalition. But the delivery of health care continued as officials worked to facilitate a new sale, something Cognetti acknowledged in her proclamation.
“Whereas, during a time marked by the anxiety of potential ownership changes, Regional workers have shown resilience by continuing to show up for patients, families, and one another,” the proclamation reads, noting the collective strength of all workers “has upheld the stability, safety, and continuity of healthcare services that thousands of community members depend on.”
Cognetti celebrated the proclamation in the company of registered nurse Susan Marullo and physical therapist Cathy Owen, both of whom she presented with certificates of recognition.
“Cathy and Susan are two incredible folks that have been at Regional for a very long time,” Cognetti said. “During especially these last couple years when it’s been uncertain what the future of the hospital is, they and their colleagues have held on through a time where their jobs have been uncertain. … It’s been really important for our community to continue to have that health care, and without Cathy and Susan and their colleagues who are still at Regional and Moses we wouldn’t still have that hospital which we desperately need to remain open in the city of Scranton.”
SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, which represents union workers at Regional and Moses Taylor, touted the proclamation in a news release.
“Workers and community members say that it is essential for Tenor or any new owner to honor the current union contract at the hospital, because strong job standards help recruit and retain staff, and when caregivers have a seat at the table they can advocate effectively for quality patient care,” that release notes. “They are also calling on any new owner to invest in maintaining and expanding healthcare services in their community.”
As a symbol of solidarity and gratitude, Cognetti’s proclamation notes City Hall’s tower will be illuminated in purple, “the color associated with healthcare workers and their union.”
Owen, meanwhile, said a desire to care for patients continues to motivate workers at Regional and Moses Taylor despite the uncertainty of the past year-plus.
“We go in every day and we always get joy treating the patients and making sure they’re taken care of,” she said.