A Letter to the Community
UPMC recently announced plans to close UPMC Braddock on January 31, 2010.
This was a difficult but necessary decision made because of the declining use of the hospital by Braddock-area residents that has resulted in low admission levels and an average daily census well below levels necessary to ensure the hospital’s long-term sustainability. Since 1996, when UPMC acquired the then-failing Braddock Medical Center, it has invested more than $60 million in an effort to operate UPMC Braddock as a financially sound and viable hospital.
The Braddock community still will have access to the best health care available. Key community-based outpatient programs that have been established by UPMC will remain in Braddock, including “Steps to a Healthy Community,” “Health for Life” summer camp, Braddock Dental Center, and various youth mentoring and senior housing programs. UPMC also is working with 60 local physician practices in the area to expand access to primary care for area residents, including offering expanded evening and weekend hours.
Over the next 100 days until the closure of UPMC Braddock, UPMC will work with the community and its patients to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. Patients can expect that nothing should change with their relationship with their physicians. And those patients who have scheduled appointments for services, such as tests or x-rays, or those in need of emergency treatment, still can continue to use the hospital for the time being.
As we all move forward together, your support will continue to be valued and appreciated.
Respectfully,
Cynthia M. Dorundo, MBA, MHA
President, UPMC Braddock and UPMC McKeesport