McLaren St. Luke’s Hospital to close this spring

MAUMEE, Ohio (WTVG) - McLaren St. Luke’s Hospital will discontinue operations by mid-May after its Board of Directors voted unanimously to close the hospital and related outpatient services.

The hospital announced the news Friday, saying that years of declining revenues and an unstable reimbursement environment prompted the decision.

McLaren Health Care and Mercy Health are in the process of finalizing an asset purchase agreement in which Mercy Health will acquire the McLaren St. Luke’s facilities, land and physical assets.

Mercy Health will work with WellCare Physicians Group practices through the transition with the goal of maintaining continuity of patient care.

“Despite the tireless dedication of everyone associated with McLaren St. Luke’s, we have not been able to overcome the historic financial losses experienced by this hospital – losses that began long before COVID-19 that now run into the millions each month,” said Jennifer Montgomery, RN, MSA, FACHE, president and CEO of McLaren St. Luke’s. “Our passion for patient care and commitment to clinical excellence have never wavered. But sadly, we are not on a financially sustainable path.”

Current patients at McLaren St. Luke’s will complete their care and the hospital will begin to reduce admissions and wind down other clinical operations in the weeks ahead.

According to the press release, as part of the agreement, Mercy Health expects to extend employment opportunities to a significant percentage of McLaren St. Luke’s physicians and employees. Representatives from Mercy Health will begin meeting with hospital employees and physicians early next week.

“Mercy Health is committed to increasing access to high-quality, compassionate care throughout the Toledo region,” said Mercy Health – Toledo President Bob Baxter. “We are honored to work with McLaren St. Luke’s to offer a seamless transition of care for patients, community members and associates in Maumee and the surrounding areas.”

“Though this is not the future any of us envisioned for McLaren St. Luke’s, the reality is that times have changed. With so many hospitals in the area and more and more procedures being done in an outpatient setting, a facility like ours just cannot compete,” said McLaren St. Luke’s Board Chair Tim Goligoski. “It’s a tough pill to swallow for those of us who have been part of St. Luke’s for years or even generations, but we take pride in the impact we’ve had and the countless lives we’ve touched along the way.”

For more information, visit mclaren.org/stlukestransition. For patients seeking additional information on scheduling, bill pay or medical records, please call 419-897-8484.

ProMedica issued the following statement on the closure.

“ProMedica is well aware of the extreme financial challenges health systems have been dealing with and the tough decisions they’ve faced, as we’ve had to make some tough decisions of our own. Fortunately, our decisions are enabling us to enhance an already-strong focus on the communities surrounding our hospitals. We look forward to serving our communities in an even greater way and continuing to be a top-rated employer, as recognized by Forbes and other organizations. We encourage those seeking new opportunities with a team dedicated to and recognized for providing high-quality, compassionate care to visit careers.promedica.org.

ProMedica Toledo Hospital Emergency and Urgent Care in Maumee is fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology and resources, enabling patients to obtain CT scans, X-rays, ultrasounds, lab services, and more onsite as appropriate. Patients are able to receive treatment for a range of emergency conditions, including chest pain, stroke, severe shortness of breath, trauma injuries, allergic reactions, severe gastrointestinal symptoms, seizures, severe pain, uncontrollable bleeding, broken bones, cuts, burns and more. Should a condition require additional advanced treatment, surgery or inpatient care, patients would be stabilized and transported to the top-rated, nationally recognized ProMedica Toledo Hospital main campus.

Additionally, the facility includes an urgent care for minor injuries and illness. By combining a freestanding emergency department and urgent care within the same facility, patients are able to quickly receive the most appropriate and cost-effective care at one location,” ProMedica wrote in a statement to 13abc.

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