Octavia Rumer, a registered nurse in Suburban Community Hospital’s emergency department and co-president of the Suburban General Nurses Association, speaks during a July 17, 2024 press conference outside the East Norriton Township hospital. (Credit: Rachel Ravina – MediaNews Group)
Changes will soon rock Suburban Community Hospital as the medical facility plans to cease a majority of services and open a 15-bed behavioral health unit.
The decision made by the out-of-state owner Prime Healthcare, outraged a number of nurses who stressed concerns over cataclysmic ramifications to the loss of a hospital that’s been a vital resource in the local community.
“I think it’s going to be catastrophic for the area. I mean we do have obviously patients that come to Suburban that only want to come to Suburban. They have established relationships with physicians or even some of the nurses for their nursing care,” said Octavia Rumer, a nurse in Suburban Community Hospital’s emergency department and co-president of the Suburban General Nurses’ Association.
“I’m just really sad. Besides the fact that that’s been my home for 25 years, [the] nurses I work with, I would trust my life and my family with. So I’m sorry, I’m getting emotional,” Rumer said, who’s worked as a nurse in the hospital’s emergency and intensive care units.
Rumer said the decision to reopen the behavioral health unit at the facility located at 2701 Dekalb Pike was initially couched in a “very positive light.” However, she didn’t expect the closure of acute care services. The behavioral health unit was shut down in fall 2023, according to a statement from the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals.
The hospital was downgraded from a 127-bed facility to a 60-bed “micro-hospital” in July 2024, a designation the Pennsylvania Department of Health classified as “an acute care hospital that offers emergency services and maintains facilities for at least ten inpatient beds with a narrow scope of inpatient acute care services, such as no surgical services.”
“We worked so hard … to do what’s best by the patients, and the community, and they fought us every step of the way,” Rumer said. “Everything was based on the dollar. Every single solitary decision they made came down to pennies and cents, nothing that was in the best interest of the patient.”
This latest development came after Suburban Community Hospital union representatives ratified a new three-year contract for its nurses in March following 18 months of negotiations and a strike. Contracts expired for members of the Suburban General Nurses Association, affiliates of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, in fall 2023.
Staffing, wages and health care were top priorities for union leadership as they went to the bargaining table with Prime Healthcare, of Ontario, Calif., which acquired the medical facility back in 2016.
“It’s horrible. It was 18 months of torture with them to get a contract out of them, just for them to turn around and do this is absolutely terrible, considering we had given so many concessions in the contract,” Spencer said.
Prime Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Michael Motte said in a May 2 memorandum to all employees the company would “continue to recognize our bargaining unit at Suburban and follow all policies and processes in our collective bargaining agreement.”
Dr. Sonia Mehta, CEO and chief medical officer of Prime Healthcare Region II, encompassing facilities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, insisted the infrastructure shift was needed to better respond to “the urgent behavioral health needs of the region.”
“By expanding access to vital mental health services, investing in exceptional care, and supporting our teams, we are proud to carry forward our legacy of excellence and community service,” Mehta said in a statement to MediaNews Group. “We believe healthcare should heal, uplift, and create lasting change — and that is exactly what we are honored to continue delivering.”
June 30 was listed as the last day for the hospital to accept patients before the hospital ceases operations and opens the 15-bed geriatric psychiatry behavioral health unit on July 1 under the umbrella of Roxborough Memorial Hospital, according to officials.
Once that happens, Rumer stressed “the doors will be closed,” as she expressed concern for vulnerable individuals who rely on the hospital.
“They have to find care somewhere else,” she said, adding “we have a very high drug abuse population. We have a very high homeless population, and this is going to be awful for them.”
Rumer expected the loss of emergency care to have the largest impact. While some medical institutions surround the existing hospital, Rumer anticipated the closure could put strain on other hospitals, such as Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital, located 2 miles away. “Now they’re going to be completely inundated,” Rumer said.
“I honestly don’t know how … Einstein Montgomery is going to be able to handle the volume, especially come winter time, when both hospitals are on divert, because there’s no more beds for anybody,” Rumer said. “So there’s going to be a lot of patients waiting.”
“Unfortunately, it’s going to be another [Crozer-Chester Medical Center] effect,” she continued. “Not to that extent, because we know how busy Crozer was, but people are going to ultimately be a lot sicker or die because they’re not going [to] be able to get the treatment that they need.”
Motte stipulated in his memo released on Friday that “emergency and acute care patients will maintain access to services via Roxborough Memorial Hospital or several other hospitals operating within the same service area.”
When addressing personnel, Motte said that “staff with applicable credentials will be retained on site at Suburban,” while “all other impacted staff will be offered comparable positions at Prime Healthcare Foundation and/or Prime Healthcare facilities including Lower Bucks Hospital and Roxborough Memorial Hospital.”
Employment capacity for the behavioral health unit is expected to hold 37 positions, with uncertainty expected for the remaining 89 employees, who Prime Healthcare officials say will be offered employment opportunities at partnering facilities in Bristol and Roxborough.
Rumer blasted the out-of-state health care company as health care professionals remained hesitant over their futures.
“Nurses are, after all these years dedicating their lives to this building, are now just out, and have to start over looking for a new job,” Rumer said.
“I hope that Prime eventually gets out of Pennsylvania,” Rumer said. “There is no place for for-profit healthcare in Pennsylvania. They are not here for the patient. They’re not here for the community. Prime has only been here to line their pockets and that’s it.”
