BEAUMONT, Texas — Mid-Jefferson Extended Care Hospital is closing one of it's two locations in Southeast Texas, according to Mark Rice, President of Priority Hospital Group.
The company announced the closure of the Nederland location at 2600 Hwy 365 and 9th Ave, which will result in the layoff of 48 full-time staff both clinical and non-clinical employees.
In a statement to 12News, Rice blamed the closure on the end of Public Health Emergency (PHE) benefits related to COVID-19 on May 11th, 2023, without making allowances for hospitals like Mid-Jefferson.
Rice tells 12News that despite meeting with lawmakers in Washington D.C. in an effort to advocate for the PHE benefits, but was unsuccessful.
“Frankly, it is extremely disappointing that lawmakers had such lackadaisical responses to our urgent pleas to intervene and prevent this from happening. This is forcing many specialty hospitals across the country like ours to close their doors or consolidate multiple campuses into fewer locations," said Rice.
The end of PHE left the hospital with higher costs, labor shortages and outdated admission criteria, according to Rice. He says this means fewer patients will qualify for the hospital's level of care.
“This is a very sad and unfortunate time for both the community, and the wonderful people who have worked so tirelessly throughout the past few years of the Covid pandemic," said Rice.
The Beaumont location at 860 South 8th Street, near Baptist Hospital, will stay open. Rice tells 12News that this hospital will continue to provide care for patients all over Southeast Texas.
Full statement from Mark Rice, President of Priority Hospital Group.
MID-JEFFERSON EXTENDED CARE HOSPITAL with two locations in Nederland and Beaumont, Texas announced today the layoff of 48 full-time staff both clinical and non-clinical employees at its Nederland location at 2600 Hwy 365 and 9th Ave. The Beaumont campus at 860 South 8th Street, near Baptist Hospital, will remain open and will care for patients from all over the Golden Triangle and surrounding areas.
According to Mark Rice, President of Priority Hospital Group, the company that manages both Mid-Jefferson campuses, “This is a very sad and unfortunate time for both the community, and the wonderful people who have worked so tirelessly throughout the past few years of the Covid pandemic”. Mr. Rice went on to explain that despite his traveling to Washington DC to meet with lawmakers personally, Congress still allowed the Public Health Emergency (PHE) benefits to end without making allowances for specific types of hospitals like Mid-Jeff that so successfully provided much needed specialty services to its patient population.
The end of the PHE created the perfect storm. It left specialty hospitals like Mid-Jeff saddled with higher costs, labor shortages and outdated admission criteria, disqualifying many sick individuals who actually did qualify for Mid Jeff’s level of care due to their severity of illness and intensity of care needed. The result is that fewer patients now qualify for Mid Jeff’s valuable services. These same patients will become more confused and limited in terms of patient choice than before. The outdated and misguided Medicare admission rules that were relaxed during the Covid emergency are back in full force as of May 11th. The sudden and immediate cessation of provisions afforded to certain types of hospitals like Mid-Jeff during the pandemic, ended this month without consideration of the impact on communities and access to care. Mr. Rice went on to say, “Frankly, it is extremely disappointing that lawmakers had such lackadaisical responses to our urgent pleas to intervene and prevent this from happening. This is forcing many specialty hospitals across the country like ours to close their doors or consolidate multiple campuses into fewer locations”. What lawmakers failed to understand, and to act upon, is the fact that the healthcare landscape post Covid is very different than healthcare landscape pre-covid.
Mr. Rice wanted to make it clear that only the Nederland campus is being forced to close. Golden Triangle and surrounding area patients will still be happily cared for at the Beaumont location.
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