Regional Hospital of Scranton will remain open amid ongoing negotiations with a potential buyer to acquire the health care facility, according to a state representative who has advocated for the city hospital.
“The hospital is OK right now, not closing,” state Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, D-114, Waverly Twp., said in a phone interview Wednesday. “We’re still actively working with an all-hands-on-deck situation with a potential buyer.”
Last month, union health care workers, elected officials and other stakeholders held a town hall forum aimed at saving Commonwealth Health’s Regional Hospital of Scranton and its Moses Taylor Hospital campus following the late 2024 collapse of a sale considered by many to be a potential lifeline for the hospital. During that March 13 forum, advocates for the hospital, including members of the SEIU Healthcare workers’ union, sought to preserve the critical services at Regional and Moses Taylor, along with the union jobs necessary to deliver that care. It was the second town hall since December.
The for-profit Tennessee-based Community Health Systems Inc., or CHS, is Commonwealth’s parent company.
In a statement late Wednesday afternoon, Commonwealth Health spokeswoman Annmarie Poslock said work with Pennsylvania’s elected officials to find another operator for Regional Hospital and its associated campuses, clinics and outpatient centers is continuing.
“We are happy to share that we believe we have reached a deal with the Governor’s office and other groups that makes us optimistic about the future of our hospital,” Poslock said. “We hope to share more details about this in the coming months. In the meantime, we will continue to focus on our patients and providing for the medical care they need.”
Critical negotiations took place Wednesday morning, said Kosierowski, who is a longtime nurse and local leader on the issue of local health care access. Hospital and health system executives initially met at 10 a.m. Wednesday discussing the closure, Kosierowski said. Later meetings included the board and medical leadership, employee department leadership and finally all medical staff. Those meetings shifted to thanking Gov. Josh Shapiro and the health system’s plan to keep Regional open until a new operator comes in, she said.
The hospital is operating as usual, she said, emphasizing the importance of its continued operations.
“At this time, I can say that they are not announcing closure. Lots of active negotiating is still happening, and those that are at the table are still at the table,” she said. “This place must stay open and operational for the community — it is catastrophic if it does not. “
Regional and Moses Taylor are separate facilities but operate under a single license following a 2022 merger, with operations coordinated across the two campuses. When advocates talk about saving Regional, they’re referring to jobs and services at Moses Taylor as well.
Last year, nonprofit WoodBridge Healthcare’s interest in acquiring Regional Hospital, Moses Taylor, Commonwealth’s Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and other health care assets appeared to provide a potential path to stability, but that fell through in November due to a lack of financing. With that sale dead, advocates quickly raised concerns that Regional could close if it were not acquired by new ownership, launching a search for a buyer.
In a hospital data sheet hosted on its protectregionalcareandjobs.org website, SEIU Healthcare contends that if Regional Hospital were to close, there would not be enough beds between Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton and Lehigh Valley Hospital — Dickson City to absorb the necessary patient care across Lackawanna County. While Luzerne County hospitals could absorb some of that care, closing Regional would diminish access to health care and increase travel times, including for life-threatening conditions, SEIU said.
A 2023 Community Benefit Report for Regional and its Moses Taylor campus put the number of patient encounters there, at Commonwealth Health Physician Network clinics and other outpatient sites at 381,000 that year.
Closing Regional would also create a significant void in birth and delivery services because Regional accounts for about 70% of births in Lackawanna County, according to an SEIU press release.
SEIU officials had not heard news of a change of ownership or potential closure but said in a statement early Wednesday evening that union members continue to be concerned about the future of Regional, and they are deeply committed to doing whatever it takes to save their hospital. The healthcare workers’ union attributed its remarks to Pennsylvania members Corinne Cianfichi, an occupational therapist with 30 years of service, and Sue Wiggins, a lab technician with six years of service.
“We stand ready to welcome any new owner and work collaboratively with them to preserve and expand services, protect good union jobs and ensure that community concerns are addressed,” according to the statement. “Regional Hospital is absolutely critical for the health and economy of the entire NEPA area. Our population is older, sicker, and needs more complex care than ever before.”
Any job losses would be devastating for working residents in Northeast Pennsylvania, the union said. The hospital provides more than 1,000 jobs, contributing $148 million in wages and benefits to local families, according to SEIU.
“We are calling on all stakeholders to continue working diligently together in good faith so that Regional can remain open and we can provide the quality healthcare that our community urgently needs,” according to the statement.
As negotiations continue, Kosierowski stressed the importance of keeping Regional open while also pointing to support from community partners, from local foundations to legislators.
“When I say everyone is doing all they can, it’s the truth,” she said. “It’s essential for everybody in the community to make sure we have access to Regional Hospital.”