By EMS1 Staff
WHARTON, Texas — The city of Wharton’s only hospital announced this week it will no longer accept patients that arrive by ambulance.
Although the emergency room is open, officials said they are only accepting walk-ins. The hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center, is in the process of filing for bankruptcy, reported ABC13.
For the last six months, patients have been sent to hospitals that are at least 20 minutes away, said Wharton Emergency Services Director John Kowalik.
“What we are doing now is terrible for the citizens,” Kowalik said.
The change has caused turnaround time for ambulances between calls to nearly triple, and the need for more EMS crews has cost taxpayers an additional $16,000 a month.
“It’s not necessarily acceptable, but I don’t know what other alternative we have right now,” Wharton Mayor Tim Barker said.
Officials said the hospital’s process of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy has taken longer than expected, but could potentially be done in a month.