LOUISBURG, NC – Oct. 7, 2015 - Novant Health Franklin Medical Center announced today that it will cease operations Oct. 16, 2015, following several years of declining utilization. Hospital leaders have notified the state and are working closely with patients on an individual basis to coordinate ongoing care. Hospital employees will have access to outplacement assistance from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, which may include job fairs, financial planning workshops, interest/aptitude assessments and other specialized services.
Novant Health Perry Medders Medical Group and Novant Health Franklin General & Vascular Surgery will also transition from Novant Health medical group. The medical group will no longer employ the teams at these two offices. However, both clinics will remain open until Dec. 7 to provide patients time to find new health care providers. The medical offices may choose to convert to private practices.
“The decision to close a hospital may be the most difficult one a health system ever faces,” said Patrick Easterling, senior vice president at Novant Health. “We care deeply about our patients and the communities we serve, and this is something we take very seriously. Unfortunately, utilization of Franklin Medical Center has declined significantly over several years. Despite an outstanding staff, investments in the facility, and a reconfiguration of hospital services last fall, we were unable to create a sustainable model. As we prepare to close our doors, we are committed to doing whatever we can to help our patients and our employees during this time of transition.”
The decision to cease operations comes after more than a year of intensive discussions, operational changes and exploring alternatives to keep the doors open. It also comes after significant investments by Novant Health to improve the hospital, including a 7,500-square-foot geriatric behavior health unit in 2013. However, nationwide health care trends — including an emphasis on outpatient services and reduced reimbursements — combined with the close proximity of other health care providers, necessitated the change.
Effective at 6 p.m. Oct. 7, Franklin Medical Center will no longer accept new inpatient admissions. Hospital staff members are working to safely discharge existing patients by Oct. 16 or transfer care to another hospital at that time. The emergency room will remain open to new patients until the hospital officially ceases operations Oct. 16, 2015, at 7 a.m. If patients are registered in the ER at that time, they will be treated and released or transferred to another facility as necessary and appropriate.
“We want to thank Franklin County for allowing us to serve your health care needs these past six years,” Easterling said. “We are proud of what we accomplished here, and we want to do whatever we reasonably can to minimize inconvenience to the community.”
Patients are encouraged to visit novanthealth.org/franklin for helpful resources related to this transition.
About Novant Health
Novant Health is a four-state integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals with more than 1,200 physicians and 25,000 employees at nearly 500 locations, including 14 medical centers and hundreds of outpatient facilities and physician clinics. Louisburg/Novant, LLC is an affiliate of Novant Health that owns and operates Novant Health Franklin Regional Medical Center. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Novant Health serves more than 4 million patients annually. More information about Novant Health can be found at www.novanthealth.org.
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