With the start of a Prince George’s County Hospital system shutdown potentially less than six weeks away, other hospitals are beginning to worry about the fallout.
“Having to distribute 180,000 patients to other hospitals systems when emergency systems are already packed to the brim in most cases … would have a devastating impact,” said Michael Rogers, an official representing Washington Hospital Center in Northwest.
Dimensions Healthcare, which is more than $100 million in debt, runs the Prince George’s-owned system. On June 25, Dimensions board of directors voted not to accept the county’s ultimatum that four board members resign or Prince George’s will stop funding the county hospital system. Should the situation remain status quo, Dimensions spokeswoman Suzanne Almalel said, the system would have to begin shutting down after the first week of August.
“It’s a concern,” said Yolanda Gaskins, a spokeswoman for Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring. “Of course, it’s a concern to all the hospitals in the area.”
Nancy Fiedler, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Hospital Association, said that for a few weeks, a contingency plan could address the situation.
“People are willing to go the extra mile … working extra shifts, seeing extra patients,” she said.
But over a period of months or years, she said, “it couldn’t be sustained.” According to Fiedler, “It’s the same with the patient population.”
“They may be willing to have all their emergency care diverted somewhere else for a period of a couple weeks,” she said, “if they think things will get better after that. It’s not acceptable over time.”
In April, Dimensions Chief Executive Officer Dunlop Ecker said the system faced bankruptcy or closure before the county pledged to fund it through June 2008.
When the county previously provided Dimensions with $5 million in February, the board agreed to reconstitute itself, among other things, if it required additional county appropriations. But Dimensions contends subsequent communications supersede the legislation.
Emergency room visits
» Prince George’s County Hospital system: 121,585 (fiscal 2006)
» Washington Hospital Center: 74,025 (2006)
» Holy Cross Hospital: more than 71,000 (annually)
Source: Hospital officials
