GULF COAST CLOSES ITS DOORS: Several Other Facilities Will Remain Operational

By Megha Satyanarayana, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.

Jan. 1–Gulf Coast Medical Center on U.S. 90 and Debuys Road in Biloxi closed Monday night and patients have been directed to other local hospitals, said the hospital’s spokeswoman. The initial announcement came in early November and had 359 employees looking for work before the new year.

The hospital has plans to move north of Interstate 10, with plans to build over the next five years. The move comes in the wake of the post-Katrina population shift north of the highway. After the hurricane, the inpatient load fell 40 percent, Chief Executive Officer Brenda Whitwell said in November.

Gulf Coast is owned by Hospital Management Associates, which owns several hospitals in Mississippi and in other Southern states. HMA purchased the hospital about one-and-a-half years ago with the intention of keeping it open, but financial losses from the drop in patients prompted the closure.

For the last two weeks, said hospital spokeswoman Lori Bickel, traffic has been low, and American Medical Response, the local ambulance service, already is taking patients elsewhere.

Gulf Coast nursing manager Donna Depierne’s last day was Dec. 20. She and her staff helped pack beds and operating room materials for other hospitals to take away. Some of her staff volunteered to come back the next day to finish. She said they sang Christmas carols to liven the mood.

“It was sad, oh my gosh it was sad. But they ended on a high note,” she said. Depierne will move to Singing River Hospital System this month.

Even though the hospital is closed, some peripheral services will remain open. The Cedar Lake Diagnostic Imaging Center will keep operating. Doctors’ offices on campus will stay in business, as will the Gulf Coast Center for Breast Care, the Gulf Coast Sleep Laboratory and Gulf Oaks, the psychiatric facility.

One of the Gulf Coast employees affected by the closure is Roland Abrams, manager of environmental services. He oversees housekeeping, including disinfection. At the time of the initial announcement, he was unsure where he would work after today.

On Monday, he transferred to environmental services at Gulf Oaks. The job means his two college-bound daughters will get their education.

“I’ll be able to send my daughter to school. She’s graduating this year. I’m so excited,” he said.

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Copyright (c) 2008, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.

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