Sharon Hospital converts ICU,keeps labor and delivery unit in 2023

SHARON — Last year was marked by continuing public opposition to planned changes at Sharon Hospital, including Nuvance’s announced plan to discontinue labor and delivery services and to convert the Intensive Care Unit to a Progressive Care Unit.

In early 2022, an application had been submitted by Nuvance in connection with a Certificate of Need that had been filed with the state Office of Hospital Strategies (OHS). OHS would be responsible for the public hearing process and ultimate decisions. The public hearing on labor and delivery closure was held in December 2022.

In late August of 2023 the Nuvance’s application to close labor and delivery services was denied by the OHS.

Following the August decision, OHS granted Nuvance time to file an appeal. The appeal was filed on October 18, with an early November hearing of arguments in the case anticipated.

In early February in 2023 OHS announced a series of public hearings intended to collect residents’ concerns about Nuvance’s intent to discontinue the Intensive Care Unit at Sharon Hospital and replace it with Progressive Care services.

Hearings were held in most towns throughout the affected area, as volunteers representing the Save Sharon Hospital organization sought to explain the issues involved and encourage participation in the OHS public hearings.

At year’s end, Nuvance announced that OHS had approved that application, clearing the way for the ICU at Sharon Hospital to be converted to a Progressive Care service unit. In announcing the decision, hospital administrators assured residents that the level of care would be the same as before.

Apart from the rigors of the OHS hearings on the Nuvance Certificate of Need issues, Sharon Hospital had celebrated an upgrade to the hospital’s helipad. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in early January.

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