Suburban Community Hospital in Norristown, Pa., has laid off its behavioral health unit staff.
In a Sept. 28 news release shared with Becker's, the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals, which represents nurses at the hospital, said 17 union nurses were told their jobs would be eliminated, along with 12 non-union staff members and at least five middle managers.
The behavioral health unit is empty and not accepting new patients, according to the nurses' association.
In a statement shared with Becker's, a spokesperson for Suburban Community Hospital said geriatric psychiatry services will be provided through a nearby facility, Roxborough Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia.
"To ensure there will be no lack of access to needed services, geriatric psychiatry services at Suburban Community Hospital are not closing but partnering with a neighboring Center of Excellence in psychiatry at Roxborough Memorial Hospital," the spokesperson said.
The number of patients requiring services at Suburban Community Hospital has steadily declined over the years, the spokesperson said.
"Patients don't want to be transferred out of their community or away from their family for basic services," Terena Stinson, RN, co-president of the Suburban General Nurses' Association, said in a news release.
Both Suburban Community Hospital and Roxborough Memorial Hospital are owned by Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare. The system operates 45 hospitals in 14 states.
The spokesperson said many laid-off staff immediately received offers for other positions in the health system, and others were encouraged to apply for open positions at other Prime Healthcare facilities.