A week after owners of the only hospital in Massillon said they’re shutting it down at the end of next month, a pair of Stark County legislators are introducing a bill to slow down the shut down.
Republican Rep. Kirk Schuring and Democratic Rep. Thomas West are co-sponsoring H.B. 462. It says Affinity Medical Center can’t shut its doors for nine more months.
Schuring says abruptly leaving 30,000 people without hospital services is unacceptable.
“We need time. With time comes options, options to protect the patients, to preserve jobs, and that’s what my bill seeks to accomplish.”
He says a multi-pronged approach to dealing with the closure involves the Legislature, attempts to get a court injunction, and more.
"I talked to John Minor, president of Jobs Ohio today. And I know there’s a physician’s groupth at is trying to put together a package to buy the hospital, and there might be a chance that we can help with the financing on that.”
Schuring and West hope to get the bill to the floor next week and to the governor by the end of the month.