By Heather Taylor
Red Bluff Daily News
WILLOWS, Calif. — In October, Glenn Medical Center will close its emergency room and inpatient hospital services. The closure comes after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services revoked the hospital’s Critical Access Hospital status. CAH locations must be more than 35 miles from other hospitals, and Glenn Medical Center is only 32 miles from Colusa Medical Center.
With the closure of the emergency room, patients will likely use emergency services of the Colusa hospital, Enloe Health Emergency Department in Chico, or Red Bluff’s St. Elizabeth Community Hospital.
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Allison Hendrickson, a system manager representing St. Elizabeth, said while they do not anticipate a “significant impact” from Glenn Medical’s closure, there is a slight increase expected in patient volume, especially in emergency care.
“We want to reassure our current patients that we have thoroughly assessed our existing capacity and are confident that we are well-equipped to accommodate any increase in the number of patients,” Hendrickson wrote. She explained that St. Elizabeth has been analyzing data from Glenn Medical to predict and prepare for any surges.
John Poland , executive director of the Sierra-Sacramento Valley EMS Agency, also said his agency is analyzing data and preparing for a likely increase in 911 calls. However, he anticipates the majority of the impact to be closer to Willows. The S-SV EMS Agency is the local emergency services agency, which covers 10 mostly rural Northern California counties, including Glenn and Tehama. The agency provides oversight and regulates the emergency medical services in these counties.
Poland said patients in the Orland area may already receive medical services at St. Elizabeth or Enloe. On the south end of the county, patients who would have used Glenn Medical’s services will now need to choose to go to Colusa, Chico, or Red Bluff. Of those three, St. Elizabeth in Red Bluff is the farthest, so likely not the first choice.
The last experience with something like this was when Colusa Regional Medical Center shut down in April 2016, Poland explained. That situation demonstrated a model of how 911 calls may increase when people lack access to a nearby hospital.
The Colusa hospital reopened in December 2017.
Primarily, it will impact Glenn County, Poland said, as ambulances drive farther to take patients to emergency rooms, and are unavailable for other calls during those drives.
His agency is focusing on ensuring there are strong 911 resources, Poland said, and will be monitoring the situation closely. Still, they will not know the entire impact until the hospital is no longer available, he said.
Tehama County Health Services Agency Executive Director Jayme Bottke also echoed that some impacts would remain to be seen. She said the Tehama agency is looking for ways to be supportive, and they are aware and concerned about the Glenn Medical closure.
The agency is participating in a September 16 job fair at Glenn Medical, intended to help hospital employees find new jobs. They’ve shared vacancies for various positions, Bottke said.
Hendrickson also confirmed St. Elizabeth has direct communication with the Glenn Medical administration.
“We have shared comprehensive information regarding our current open positions and the various career opportunities available at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital,” Hendrickson stated.
Regional Director Liz Bethard of Glenn Medical said beyond St. Elizabeth, they have reached out to several Tehama vendors to attend the job fair. It will be held in a Glenn Medical parking lot, with the potential to move inside if there are more vendors.
Glenn Medical Center has estimated that about 150 employees will lose their jobs with the closure.
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