In a statement release today, UAB and Jefferson County have reached an agreement to provide for indigent healthcare after Cooper Green ends inpatient care. The Jefferson County Commission voted to close the county owned hospital’s inpatient services after years of multi-million dollar losses.
Reverend Al Sharpton is expected in Birmingham on Friday to protest the closing of Cooper Green Mercy Hospital, but today’s announcement further signals that the train has left the station.
Last week, Commissioner Joe Knight spoke to members of the Clay-Pinson Chamber of Commerce and said a deal to provide indigent care was imminent.
“About 70 percent of indigent care is already provided through other hospitals,” Knight said. In the later interview, he pointed out that the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital and St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham are around the corner or a few blocks away.
“I don’t have a problem with inner-city health care for the indigent,” Knight said. “But health care is a business.”
Today’s statement from UAB and county manager Tony Petelos would appear to suggest that the new “hub and spoke” model chosen by the commission majority is falling into place.
The statement says, The University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System (UAB Health System) is committed to patient care and is collaborating with Jefferson County to expand UAB’s existing transfer and service agreements. This ensures citizens receiving care at Cooper Green have access to high quality, uninterrupted healthcare services as Cooper Green Mercy Hospital transitions to a new healthcare model
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“Cooper Green is undergoing an important, and necessary transition,” says Will Ferniany, CEO, UAB Health System. “As a member of Birmingham’s healthcare community, UAB has always worked collaboratively with Cooper Green. UAB is committed to continue our long standing relationship with Jefferson County to make sure patients receive uninterrupted care,” says Ferniany.
August 28 the Jefferson County Commission passed a resolution to transition Cooper Green Mercy to a model that delivers cost-effective, quality healthcare.
“UAB is an important leader in our healthcare community,” says Tony Petelos, CEO, Jefferson County. “Having service agreements in place with UAB is an important step toward strengthening the services provided to those who historically use the services of Cooper Green Mercy. This partnership has given us momentum as we continue working with other hospitals and doctors to establish agreements that bring the very best of our community’s healthcare resources to bear for those who depend on the services provided by Cooper Green Mercy,” says Petelos.