Franciscan Health now plans to close inpatient care and emergency room services at its downtown Hammond hospital which has served north Lake County and neighboring communities in Illinois for more than a century.
The Mishawaka-based hospital chain plans instead to direct patients to its hospitals in Munster and Dyer.
“In 2021, Franciscan Health announced that the Franciscan Alliance Board of Trustees approved a $30 million investment in the 100-year-old Hammond campus to renovate some buildings, and $15 million to demolish buildings that no longer have a useful life," Franciscan Health Hammond, Dyer and Munster Interim President and CEO Barbara Anderson said in a statement issue Thursday. "The scaled down, 10-bed inpatient unit and Emergency Department would continue to serve the needs of the Hammond community."
But Franciscan is now changing course, planning to stop treating patients in downtown Hammond.
“In the last 15 months, we have seen inpatient volume at Franciscan Health Hammond drop to an average of 2.5 patients per day. Of the 54 patients who present to the emergency room each day, more than 90% would be better served in a lower-cost setting, such as an urgent care or primary care clinic," she said. "It is difficult to maintain operational efficiency at these volumes. Had we been able to predict the dramatic decrease in volumes, we would have planned differently at the outset. As a result, Franciscan Health is consolidating its hospital-based services in Munster and Dyer and continuing to offer ambulatory services in Hammond."
Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said Franciscan had been disinvesting in downtown Hammond for years and directing patients elsewhere, then using the decline in traffic as an excuse to further disinvest.
"They are not acting like a nonprofit. This is inconsistent with their stated mission," he said. "This is a perfect example of what's wrong with health care in America. You have two health care systems: one for the poor and one for the wealthy. They want to move away from Hammond to places like Crown Point."
McDermott said he believes Franciscan's decision to disinvest would result in the deaths of patients who would have to travel further for emergency services.
"Somebody in an ambulance with a heart attack is going to have to go an extra five or 10 minutes," he said. "We're going to lose patients. It's going to happen numerous times."
Franciscan said its decision is based on providing more efficient medical services and using resources most effectively.
“A critical shortage of health care workers and a dramatic shift in patients choosing full-service hospitals elsewhere in the county makes it impossible to continue to keep an inpatient facility open that is averaging less than three inpatients per day," Anderson said. "As such, the Franciscan Alliance Board of Trustees and Franciscan Alliance’s Northern Indiana Division Board of Directors approved plans for ceasing inpatient admissions in Hammond and to accommodate those requiring inpatient services at Franciscan’s Munster and Dyer campuses. The Hammond Emergency Department, which has also seen a decline in patients, will close at the end of this year."
Franciscan will maintain a presence in downtown Hammond, but it will be more focused on primary care.
“Franciscan is investing $5.3 million to renovate space on the Hammond campus to broaden access to primary care," Anderson said. "Franciscan Health’s Dr. John Lanman Clinic for the uninsured and underinsured, Fresh Start Market for the food insecure, Diaper Pantry, Prenatal Assistance Program, primary care clinic, dialysis, anticoagulation clinic, multi-specialty clinic and women’s health center will continue to operate."
The hospital has been demolishing the campus, originally to downsize it. But it's now looking at preserving two of its biggest buildings on Hohman Avenue.
“In addition, Franciscan Alliance has identified a qualified developer of housing for senior and disabled citizens who is very interested in working with the city to renovate the two oldest and largest buildings on the campus," Anderson said. "We have also recently learned that a Federally Qualified Health Care clinic has expanded its territory into Hammond for the development of a primary clinic to serve the ongoing health care needs of those seeking care locally."
Franciscan said it hopes to minimize job losses, though dozens of workers already were laid off at the hospital as a result of the downsizing.
“Our regional facilities have vacancies that can absorb our employees seeking to stay with Franciscan. Our goal is to maintain as many staff members with Franciscan as possible," Anderson said. “We believe this decision is best suited to continue our care for all of Northwest Indiana. Franciscan Health and the Franciscan Health Foundation remain committed to serving the needs of all of Lake County and will continue initiatives to protect the most vulnerable and provide compassionate care to those who need it most.”
McDermott said Hammond is looking to bring a new health care system into town.
"We consider this a divorce with Franciscan," he said. "They're more interested in serving the wealthy."
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