More than 1,050 people have signed an online petition asking Orlando Health to reverse its plans to close Rockledge Hospital on April 22 because of what the health care company said were unsafe conditions at the 298-bed facility.
The Change.org petition is an indication of growing community opposition to the hospital’s upcoming closing, even though the decision rests solely with Orlando Health.
In his posting, petition organizer Chris D’Andrea wrote: “As a local resident of Brevard County, I have firsthand experience of the critical role Rockledge Hospital plays in our community. This hospital is more than just a building. It’s a place where lifesaving interventions are performed, emergencies dealt with and ongoing care for chronic conditions managed.”
“But now, our community’s health is at risk,” wrote D’Andrea, a Rockledge resident and realtor with Rockledge-based Premium Properties Real Estate Services. “Orlando Health’s potential decision to shut down this hospital, rather than repairing it, threatens to deprive our local community of crucial health care services.”
Why Orlando Health made decision
In October, Orlando Health completed a $439 million deal to buy what was then known as Rockledge Regional Medical Center — along with the 119-bed Melbourne Regional Medical Center and the 178-bed Sebastian River Medical Center in Sebastian — from Steward Health Care. The deal also included related physician practices.
The acquisitions were the result of an asset purchase agreement with Steward Health Care that was approved by a bankruptcy court judge handling Steward’s ongoing bankruptcy case.
Orlando Health immediately rebranded the former Steward hospitals as Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital, Orlando Health Rockledge Hospital and Orlando Health Sebastian River Hospital.
But, last week, Orlando Health told Rockledge Hospital employees that, although the hospital is profitable, it is in such poor condition that it would not be cost-effective to renovate, so the hospital would close, then be torn down.
The closing will affect 940 employees, Orlando Health reported in a filing with Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity.
In the notice, Orlando Health said it wanted to keep affected employees within the company, and would guarantee positions for team members who are in good standing and are open to taking jobs at other Orlando Health facilities.
“Years of neglect had left the facility in such poor condition that it did not meet the system’s standards for patient-care environments,” Orlando Health said. “The cost to repair and renovate Rockledge Hospital far exceeds the cost of a new, state-of-the-art hospital.”
The decision to close the hospital “is necessary to ensure the safety of patients and team members,” Orlando Health said.
Orlando Health said it plans to build a new hospital in Brevard County, but did not discuss a location or timeline.
What petition signers have to say
In his petition, D’Andrea said: “Shutting down Rockledge Hospital would create an immense health care gap in our community. Orlando Health has a duty to the community it serves.”
D’Andrea said in an interview that the closing “is going to impact the community on multiple fronts.”
D’Andrea said he is aware that the petition is not likely to change Orlando Health’s mind. But he wants the company’s officials to know the community’s opposition to the move.
“We want to show our voices,” D’Andrea said. “It’s not reasonable to for them to say: ‘Well, go to Viera or Titusville or Melbourne’ ” for hospital care, if someone lives in the Rockledge area.
Petition signers who said they were local residents, former patients or Rockledge Hospital employees echoed those concerns in their comments on the petition.
Some said the planned closing of the Rockledge Hospital would leave a gap in health care coverage in the Rockledge/Cocoa area, with the closest hospital being Health First’s Viera Hospital.
One feared that the closing “will affect every aspect of health care,” including in-patient surgeries and emergency-room wait times.
Another wrote: “This hospital is filled with great health care workers. Taking them away and the 300 beds this hospital provides would be a disaster.”
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at [email protected], on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
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