Emory-Adventist Hospital in Smyrna announced it will close its doors effective Oct. 31.
“After extensive study and exploration of other alternatives, Adventist Health System (AHS) and Emory Healthcare (EH) have decided to close Emory-Adventist Hospital (EAH), concluding with regret that the hospital is no longer sustainable in today’s dramatically changed health care environment,” according to a statement.
The decision was approved by the EAH Board on July 28. The hospital will now begin an orderly transition process toward closure by October 31.
“Along with the dedicated physicians and employees of Emory-Adventist, we have worked hard over the years to make the hospital successful in its mission to serve the Smyrna area community,” said EAH Board Chair Pete Weber, speaking for the partnership of AHS and EH. “EAH has earned a well-deserved reputation for high quality, compassionate care. Ultimately, however, the new market conditions in health care have made it impossible for EAH to continue operation.”
Dennis Kiley, Emory-Adventist Hospital CEO, said the hospital is committed to a caring and careful transition process, with a continuing focus on quality care for patients and support for its employees.
For patients, there will be no immediate changes. More information about the hospital’s continued operation during the closing process, including scheduling of appointments, how to access medical records and other details impacting patients will be announced in the next several weeks. Kiley added that the hospital will be making every effort to help its employees find new jobs, and will host several job fairs with area employers in the coming weeks.
EAH has faced financial challenges over many years in this evolving health care environment, Weber explained. Even though EAH has been able to decrease costs, the hospital has had difficulty attracting enough patients in this highly competitive market to be financially sustainable.
Weber added that multiple options were explored to avoid closing the hospital. Since the spring of 2013, AHS and EH have talked with a number of other health care providers to discuss possible partnerships. While there was interest, those talks did not lead to an agreement.
“We are grateful for the support of our community over these many years,” Kiley said. “It has truly been our privilege to care for the patients and families of the Smyrna area.”
From the August 2014 issue of The Bright Side, Cobb County Georgia’s Newspaper covering Smyrna, Vinings, Mableton and Austell, GA.
