Two northeast Ohio representatives who introduced a bill to slow the closing of Massillon's only hospital are pushing for action on the measure this week.
Affinity Medical Center owner Quorum Health Corporationsaid on Jan.5th it will close the hospital March 6th. All clinical operations are to end a month sooner, on Feb. 4.
Ohio House members, Democrat Thomas West and Republican Kirk Schuring, are sponsoring a bill requiring Affinity to stay open into October so there can be time to look for alternatives.
Schuring also says that because Quorum will likely begin reducing services this month, H.B. 462 is on a fast track.
“The next step is we’ll refer the bill to a committee. Again, we want to move it swiftly through the General Assembly. So, I’m working with the speaker to see if we can have a hearing on the bill and move the bill out of the committee and get it over to the Senate.”
Affinity Medical Center opened as Massillon City Hospital in 1910. It had remained a nonprofit hospital until 2009, when Community Health Systems bought minority interest.
