Syracuse, N.Y. — St. Joseph’s Health is closing its money-losing urgent care centers in Liverpool and Fayetteville in a move expected to result in some layoffs.
The centers that treat non-emergency illnesses like ear aches and sprains are located at St. Joseph’s North and Northeast medical centers. They employ 52 people including doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. An undetermined number of the affected employees will be moved to new positions, while others will be laid off or furloughed, said Julianne Himes, chief operating officer of St. Joseph’s Physicians.
St. Joe’s closed the Fayetteville urgent care in May when patient volume dropped because of the coronavirus pandemic. It informed employees Monday the Fayetteville center will not reopen and the Liverpool center will close sometime this summer.
Meredith Price, St. Joe’s chief financial officer, said the urgent centers have been losing money for years. The centers provide lab testing, imaging and other services that are not adequately reimbursed by insurers, she said.
Price said patient volume at the urgent care centers has dropped because of growing competition. The Wellnow urgent care chain has locations in DeWitt, Syracuse, Fairmount, Liverpool and Cicero. Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists and the Upstate Bone & Joint Center also operate urgent care centers. The further decline in business caused by the pandemic led to the decision to close the centers, Price said.
St. Joe’s will reinvest the savings in its network of primary care offices, Himes said. Many of those nine offices will accept walk-ins and be open evenings and Saturdays to accommodate some patients who use the urgent care centers. Patients also will be able to get appointments on demand for telehealth video visits, she said.
St. Joe’s and other hospitals have suffered big financial losses related to the pandemic. St. Joe’s lost nearly $18 million in April alone. The state made hospitals temporarily cancel profitable elective outpatient surgeries. St. Joe’s furloughed 500 of its 4,800 employees in April to help stem the losses. There are still about 240 employees on furlough. St. Joe’s brought some of the workers back after the state let it and other hospitals resume outpatient surgeries last month.
St. Joe’s is performing outpatient surgeries in its hospital operating room and at the Northeast Medical Center. It will not reopen its outpatient surgery at the North Medical Center in Liverpool until surgery volumes return to pre-pandemic levels, Himes said.
James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com
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