Port Richmond residents might need to find a new place to get healthy. It was announced Monday that a local hospital will be ceasing regular hospital services soon.
Northeastern Hospital will change from hospital to ambulatory service on July 1, announced Temple University Health System officials.
An ambulatory service is basically a glorified doctor's office, sources told NBC 10.
Northeastern Hospital is located in the 2300-hundred block of Allegheny Avenue in Philadelphia. It has served the Port Richmond community for nearly 100 years, according to Temple officials.
So why is the hospital closing?
Cash -- or lack of the green stuff.
The hospital lost nearly $6.6 million last fiscal year and is set to lose an estimated $15 million more in 2009.
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Temple formed a task force last year to come up with a long-term plan for Northeastern Hospital.
They decided that due to mounting losses at Northeastern that they would transition from an in-patient hospital to a multi-specialty ambulance service.
"The creation of Northeastern Ambulatory Care Center permits us to continue to meet the current and future health care needs of the community with a financially sustainable model," said Edmond Notebaert, President and CEO of Temple University Health System and Senior Executive Vice President of Health Sciences for Temple University.
The local hospital workers union disputes Temple's claims that they are losing money.
"Temple University Health System made a profit of $23 million in the fiscal year ending June 2008. Although projecting a loss in the current fiscal year, the institution remains fiscally sound with a cash reserve of $380 million," said union officials in a release sent to NBC 10.
The closure of full services at Northeastern could also hurt maternity, senior and other hospital services in the Port Richmond area, according to the union.
The closure of the maternity wing will leave only six maternity units in the city, said Bette Begleiter, Deputy Director of the Maternity Care Coalition.
The union held a press conference on Monday to address the closure. The hospital closure would hurt the local community, they claimed.
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