Heritage Valley Kennedy Hospital, a community fixture for well over a century, officially closed its campus at 11:59 p.m. Monday.
The closure, marked by the end of emergency room services just before midnight, was several months in the making, as Heritage Valley Health System officials had announced it in early April.
Officials at that time cited a decline in patient activity and a reduction in provider reimbursements as the reason for the move.
Since that announcement was made, several types of hospital services had been phased out.
Specifically, the hospital’s inpatient behavioral health services closed on June 20 while the outpatient surgical services closed June 26.
Monday night’s closure of the emergency department was the last move to be made.
Outpatient surgery services will relocate to Heritage Valley Sewickley and the Heritage Valley Ambulatory Surgery Center in Monaca as of July 7.
According to an earlier news release, the health system has seen a “positive trend” in local patients using the Heritage Valley Sewickley campus after previous operational changes. The Sewickley campus is about eight miles away from the Kennedy campus.
Not all services are moving out of town, however.
Several types of services will be available in the Medical Office Building, adjacent to the Kennedy hospital campus.
Specifically, ConvenientCare and lab draw services will be available beginning July 7.
Radiology for ConvenientCare walk-in clinic and outpatient rehabilitation services are under development at the Medical Office Building.
However, Norm Mitry, the health system president and CEO, did not offer a target date as to when those services would be available, saying that construction will need to take place.
Cardiac rehabilitation will be available at the Robinson Medical Neighborhood.
The closure does not affect several existing services in the area – the senior living community, Northwest Ambulance, Wound Care & Pain Center at Kenmawr Plaza and the School of Nursing program.
Health system officials said about 75% of the 210 full-time and part-time Heritage Valley Kennedy employees have accepted vacant positions at other patient care locations. The remaining 25% of Kennedy workers have secured jobs outside the organization.
The facility formerly known as Ohio Valley Hospital officially was renamed Heritage Valley Kennedy in October 2019, about 10 months after it became a subsidiary of Heritage Valley Health System. At the time, it became the third hospital under the Heritage Valley umbrella.
According to a paid advertisement that appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in November 2017, Ohio Valley Hospital was known as McKees Rocks Hospital when it was established in the 1890s to treat railroad workers. Later the name was changed to Ohio Valley General Hospital and then in 2014 to Ohio Valley Hospital.
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