More than 1,600 healthcare workers and residents in North County, N.Y., have signed a letter to state officials urging intervention to prevent the closure of Ogdensburg, N.Y.-based North Star Health Alliance, WWNY reported Feb. 4.
North Star’s hospitals at risk of closure are Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg, a 40-bed inpatient acute psychiatric hospital, and Carthage Area Hospital in Carthage, N.Y., a 25-bed critical access hospital that recently opened a cancer center. An assisted living facility is also at risk, according to the report.
In the letter, shared with WWNY by United Healthcare Workers East, signatories wrote, “We are asking for immediate action to keep these hospitals open and fully operational, including appointing a local receiver if that is what it takes to stabilize care and restore trust.”
Community members, including union representatives, have raised concerns about potential job losses and service cuts.
Former North Star CEO Rich Duvall resigned from his position Jan. 22 amid a workforce reduction, affecting more than 100 positions across clinical, nonclinical and management teams. According to the system, reductions were part of “broader operational adjustments” to remain sustainable in its service area.
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