Good Samaritan final decision made night before announcement [Dayton Oh]

WHIOTV7 ^ | January 18, 2018 | Kaitlin Schroeder

[buckalfa]

Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton will close by the end of 2018.

Premier Health announced on Wednesday that the hospital, based on the northwest side of Dayton, will shut down by the end of 2018. The health network — the largest private employer in the region — said the closure is “part of Premier Health’s new strategic plan.”

Here’s what we know about the closure now:

MAKING A DECISION: Mary Garman, chief operating officer at Good Sam, said there were several options that were looked at before the decision was made to close the Dayton hospital. She said company executives have been examining closing options for “many, many” months. The Premier Health Board of Trustees approved the closing Tuesday night before the announcement was made Wednesday morning, shocking many in the community.

WHY IS THE HOSPITAL SHUTTING DOWN? Premier said it was unsustainable to operate two hospitals within five miles of each other. “The impact of national changes in the health care industry, compounded by the changing face of Dayton over the past decade, made clear that Premier Health had to make significant changes to continue to serve the entire region and reach patients in innovative ways in their communities going forward,” Premier officials said on Wednesday morning.

[buckalfa]

Coming to a hospital near you? Too many beds, too little reimbursement, too much uncertainty. Then again competition, where it exists, tends to weed out providers who are doomed to fail.

[lastchance]

“...compounded by the changing face of Dayton.”

Demographics matter.