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Study: Public Hospitals Getting Hit Hard

Posted on: Friday, 19 August 2005, 00:01 CDT

Aug. 18--Public hospitals are vanishing at a much faster rate than U.S. hospitals overall, according to a report released Wednesday.

While many hospitals in the country's 100 largest cities have closed their doors in the past decade, public hospitals, which typically serve the poor, have been hit the hardest, according to the report by the State University of New York's Downstate Medical Center.

The number of public hospitals declined by 27 percent in major suburbs, said the report, the fifth in a series the center has done on hospitals in large cities and suburbs.

"There is a general sense that in many quarters, governments do not want to own public hospitals," lead author Dennis Andrulis said Wednesday. "By closing public hospitals, we are losing a part, if not the core part, of the safety net in these areas."

Kern Medical Center is Bakersfield's "safety-net hospital." It provides emergency and outpatient care to all comers, with or without medical insurance.

But Kern Medical Center's financial outlook has been teetering on the edge for years. Chief Executive Officer Peter Bryan said the hospital's future rests on imminent legislative decisions.

"If we were not here, somebody else would have to pick up that volume," Bryan said. "That would be a challenge for them."

But many hospital directors disagree. They said it would not only be a challenge, but nearly impossible.

"The health care system could collapse to the point that the limited resources would be rationed," said Bob Beehler, chief executive officer for San Joaquin Community Hospital. "Care would become almost inaccessible."

The report illuminated the growing problems of providing health care to poorer populations in the suburbs.

Bakersfield's outlying suburban area has the second highest poverty rate -- 22 percent -- among the 100 cities after El Paso, Texas.

Metropolitan Bakersfield is ranked ninth among 29 other cities with medium poverty levels or 7 percent to 10 percent poverty.

The number of public hospitals closing in these areas -- nearly double the number of closings of city public hospitals -- means people there face serious roadblocks in getting care.

"The public hospital is the number one place that takes care of the poor patient population," said Jon Van Boening, chief executive officer for Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. "It is a burden on our hospital, yes. But if we need to step in, that's OK."

About 45 million Americans were uninsured in 2003, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The number is expected to jump to 48 million by the end of the year.

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Source: The Bakersfield Californian

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