UPMC closes Braddock hospital location

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's (UPMC) Braddock location officially closed on Sunday, Jan. 31. According to UPMC, the decision to close the hospital, initially announced in October 2009, was decided based on the decreased usage of the hospital, resulting in insufficient funds.

UPMC Braddock's automated answering service states that the hospital will accept all existing scheduled appointments and emergency treatments. Otherwise, on Sunday, the hospital suspended all scheduling for future appointments.

Most of the 652 Braddock hospital employees will be moved to other UPMC locations, according to a Post-Gazette article. The article did not specify how many employees would be moved and how many would be left job-less.

For patients, the next nearest UPMC location is in McKeesport, a 6.1-mile difference.

The closing of the hospital, however, was not welcomed without opposition.

About 150 community residents gathered in the 12-degree, freezing weather around noon on Saturday, Jan. 30 to protest UPMC's decision to close the hospital. The protesters were gathered in the Immanuel Lutheran Church parking lot on the corner of 5th street and Braddock Ave. next to the hospital.

"I was born in this hospital," Anna Belinsky, a Braddock resident, said. "My initial reaction was shock. I really feel bad for the senior citizens ... A few that I've spoken with said they'll refuse to go anywhere if they need help. Some said they'd rather die at home."

Belinsky, along the other protesters, said they had come on Saturday to show how important the hospital is to the community and that they will continue to oppose its closing.

Many protesters had an emotional history with the hospital.

Braddock Councilwoman, Tina Doose, told the crowd of her history with the hospital. At the age of 13, Doose was wounded after being stabbed in the neck. She was taken to the Braddock hospital's emergency room. In the ER, Doose was told that there was a chance of her not surviving and, if they were able to save her, she would not be able to speak.

"Well, today, I can speak. Thanks to this hospital," Doose said. She continued to urge the crowd to fight back. "[UPMC] dropped us- now we can drop them."

According to an article on www.thepittsburghchannel.com, UPMC Braddock "lost nearly $27 million in the last six years and projected to lose $50 million for the next six years."

The contradiction of the non-profit closing over monetary issues seemed trivial to Courtney Smith, of Bloomfield.

"It's really a shame. They're suppose to be a non-profit, but they're closing because they're not making a profit," Smith said.

UPMC's plan to build a new hospital in Monroeville has raised questions, since Western Pennsylvania Allegheny already has a hospital. Some protestors argued that this move is just a way for the non-profit to kill the competition.

"Building in Monroeville shows that UPMC is really only looking for their next profit" Smith said.

The protesters' efforts throughout the battle with UPMC did not stop the hospital from closing; however, the crowd said they plan to continue showing their need for the hospital in their community.

Exemplifying the importance of the Braddock hospital, the same article on www.thepittsburghchannel.com states that "Not only is UPMC Braddock the largest employer in the borough, it also has Braddock's only restaurant - the hospital cafeteria - and the town's only ATM."

An article posted in the Tribune-Review on Jan. 30 said "[District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr.] is pitching a plan to transform the 123-bed hospital into classrooms for high schoolers enrolled in college-level courses and clinical space for the Allegheny County Health Department ... Zappala believes Community College of Allegheny County and Point Park University could use the building to provide college-credit courses to high school students."

Until new plans are determined, UPMC Braddock will stand, not open for visits, but closed to the community. The protesters on Saturday said they will persist.

"We're in a struggle. We don't need to give up ... We may have lost the battle, but we haven't lost the war," Jesse Brown, the Braddock Council President, said.