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Sharon Regional Medical Center to reopen after court settlement

Sharon Regional Medical Center to reopen after court settlement
Sharon Regional Medical Center to reopen after court settlement 02:31

SHARON, Pa. (KDKA) -- More than two weeks after Sharon Regional Medical Center closed down, the Mercer County hospital will soon start serving patients again.

It's unclear exactly when the hospital is expected to reopen. A spokesperson for Medical Properties Trust, the company that owns the building, tells KDKA-TV that "[they] look forward to seeing operations resume successfully in the coming days."

Since the center shut down on Jan. 6, Stacy Cook of Sharon has been concerned about the extra five miles it would take her to get to a hospital.

"If it was a real-life emergency, who knows if I could have been dead or alive at that point," Cook said. "Farrell is overpacked, and that's the only other closest hospital we could get to."

However, she shouldn't have to worry anymore after a Mercer County judge approved a settlement on Tuesday reached by the Pennsylvania attorney general with MPT. It's an agreement dropping claims over MPT's failure to invest and improve the center after it bought the real estate in 2014.

This all comes after Sharon Regional's for-profit owner, Steward Health System, filed for bankruptcy in May.

The judge's approval allows the hospital to reopen under the ownership of a nonprofit, Tenor Health Foundation.

Bryan Burklow is Tenor's chief transformation officer.

"We've been looking at our operation policies, as well as staffing physicians and employees, and looking at supply getting new supply contracts," Burklow said.

Burklow said they're working fast to get the pieces in place and to submit a reopening plan to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

They're also in the process of figuring out how many employees want to come back to work.

"Sadly, you know, with the closure and some of the negative press from the foundation, many people are either skeptical or perhaps some have moved on," Burklow said.

The foundation he's referring to is the Christian H. Buhl Foundation Trust, which came about in 1893 and helped create the hospital. It's been pushing the state to continue the lawsuit.

A statement shared with KDKA-TV from MPT did not mention Buhl:

MPT has always recognized Sharon Hospital's importance to the community, and we are pleased to have reached an agreement with all key stakeholders to facilitate its reopening.

"We're confident that, you know, MPT has been an excellent landlord and partner to work with us on the reopening, and many of the community members have really expressed support," Burklow said.

"Hopefully, it'll be for the better for the town, or the township itself, and me and anybody else," Cook said.

KDKA-TV reached out to the Buhl Trust's attorney for comment but has not heard back yet.

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