'Cleveland needs a hospital': Healthcare workers concerned for community after hospital closes
CLEVELAND, Texas (KTRK) -- An emergency hospital in a neighborhood in Cleveland now sits with its lights off and doors shut.
"It's heartbreaking. We love this community. We love this town. We loved our patients," employee Jenny Wolfe said.
Healthcare workers told ABC13 they were made aware of the hospital closing on Monday in a move that's left them stunned.
"Like I got hit in the gut, because I wasn't expecting this," Grace Gibson, a hospital employee, said.
Employees received a letter in late February, stating that they were being laid off and that the hospital was closing on April 29.
But shortly after that letter was sent out, they were told they would keep their jobs.
"We were told, 'No, there's an investor that's come in and that we're going to be OK.' So now we're celebrating," Gibson said.
But last Friday, instead of celebrating, it turned into a time of panic when they said they never got paid.
"A lot of us live paycheck to paycheck, so we have stuff bouncing. Our mortgages. Can't pay our mortgages, can't pay our car notes," Brandy Alaniz said. "My husband is disabled, so I'm the breadwinner of the family."
Not only are they worried about their livelihoods, but also about the patients who rely on them.
"A lot of them are elderly, and so it's difficult for them to find rides or drive in that traffic," Wolfe said.
In another letter sent on May 9, Texas Rural Hospital, a company that took over the hospital earlier this year, said it wanted to stop the April closure. The letter also says the payroll will be delayed.
The same letter says the company can't meet the payroll deadline because its finances have not been fully secured.
"Cleveland needs a hospital. There are so many people in this town," Wolfe said.
A Texas Rural Hospital spokesperson told Eyewitness News that the closure is temporary. ABC13 asked when the hospital is expected to reopen, if workers will have their jobs, and if they'll get back pay.
The hospital sent ABC13 the following statement:
"We deeply regret to confirm that Texas Rural Hospital in Cleveland did temporarily suspend operations on May 12. This difficult decision was made solely as a precautionary measure due to funding shortfalls that affected our ability to maintain appropriate care standards for our community. Patient and staff safety is our absolute priority, which necessitated this temporary closure. Regarding employee compensation, we sincerely apologize for the delayed payroll. This is the first time we've been unable to meet our payment schedule, which is completely unacceptable to us. We understand the significant hardship and stress this places on our dedicated team members and their families. All employees are scheduled to receive their payments this week, and we are committed to making appropriate amends for any financial difficulties this delay has caused. The timing of these challenges coincides with our ongoing ownership transition. We stepped in to temporarily operate the facility to prevent a permanent closure while finalizing the transaction. Unfortunately, unexpected delays in closing the acquisition created a funding gap that ultimately led to our difficult decision to temporarily suspend operations. We are working diligently to complete the necessary capitalization and anticipate reopening within one week. We understand this situation has created uncertainty and hardship for our employees, patients, and the community. Please know we are doing everything possible to resolve these issues quickly and transparently. We remain deeply committed to providing healthcare services to Cleveland and will share updates as soon as they become available."
