Montco’s Suburban Community Hospital transitions into a micro-hospital — triggering layoffs of registered nurses and staff

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Some registered nurses and other staff at Suburban Community Hospital in East Norriton, Pennsylvania, worked their last shift this week as the facility transitions into a smaller micro-hospital dedicated to emergency care.

The hospital will maintain a 24/7 emergency department, 60 licensed beds and imaging services, but the intensive care unit and surgical services have been eliminated, which has resulted in layoffs of more than 20 workers, according to local union groups.

Hospital officials said they hope the move will improve emergency care and better meet the needs of the community, but unionized registered nurses worry the change will lead to worse health care access for patients in the area.

“Patients aren’t going to be able to come here for everything. It’s a sad day,” said Terena Stinson, registered nurse and co-president of Suburban General Nurses’ Association. “We used to have every service, every doctor, and now we’re being reduced to this micro-hospital. It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be hard.”

Suburban Community Hospital is owned by Prime Healthcare Foundation, the public charity arm of the for-profit, California-based health system Prime Healthcare, which also owns Roxborough Memorial Hospital and Lower Bucks Hospital.

Registered nurse Nicola Yori spent most of her 12-year career working in the ICU at Suburban Community Hospital. After her role was eliminated, she took an open position in the emergency department.

“It honestly feels like a week of mourning – mourning the hospital that used to be a full-service hospital, all the losses of nurses and the community it’s going to affect,” Yori said. “And we’re just trying to, at this point, if we can‘t save the hospital, at least inform the community.”

Hospital spokesperson Michelle Aliprantis said Prime Healthcare gave a 60-day advance notice to the Pennsylvania Department of Health of its transition plans, including information on how the hospital will transfer patients with complex medical needs to other full-service hospitals in the region.

Suburban Community Hospital will continue to offer laboratory and pharmacy services and have health care providers who specialize in psychiatry, family medicine and pediatrics.

“We are excited about the positive impact we can bring to our community through this transition,” Aliprantis said in a statement. “Our approach revolves around establishing equitable, affordable, and cost-effective health care that prioritizes the overall well-being of our community.”

Prime declined to disclose how many positions were eliminated and how many staff members had been laid off in the transition.

Leaders at Suburban General Nurses’ Association, a local affiliate of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals labor union, said more than 30 of its members have been affected.

Some like Yori were able to move into new roles at Suburban, and a small number of registered nurses found jobs at Roxborough Memorial, but an estimated 23 union members were laid off as of this week.

The long-term impact on the community is top of mind, Yori said. She worries about what will happen to their most vulnerable patients, people who may be underinsured or uninsured.

“We’ve created a rapport over the years with them, they trust us,” she said. “And if they come and they’re extremely sick…will they be sent down to Philadelphia? Will other hospitals lend a hand? I don’t know the answer.”