PUEBLO – St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center wants to make its medical services clear.
Despite the layoff of some 300 employees at St. Mary-Corwin in March of last year, the
hospital still provides emergency room services.
Even Parkview Medical Center has seen a significant shift of patients from Corwin, though it’s not clear if this is because of the misconception that it may be closed.
But the biggest takeaway is there are still two ER facilities ready for folks who need it in Pueblo.
As we’ve reported, Parkview’s emergency rooms are filling up quickly.
“We’ve had a big influx of patients for several years coming in but it’s just a continued need for Pueblo.”
In August of last year, the hospital had seen more than 80,000 patients.
“We saw 82,000 patients through our emergency department last year, that includes Pueblo West,” said Jeff Tucker, a PR specialist with Parkview Medical Center.
Tucker says there’s an uptick in transfers from St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center.
After Corwin announced layoffs last March, people assumed their ER was closed.
“In the first couple of months, we saw a drop off,” said Mike Cafasso, CEO of St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center.
“In the last six months, we’ve seen an uptick. Once the public realizes that we are there, they’ll slowly start coming back.”
The biggest change is there is no cardiologist in-house to handle issues like strokes, but other services are available as usual.
“At the very least we can stabilize you and transport you to the highest level of care nearby,” Cafasso added.
It’s part of their transition to an out-patient center where staff can treat and release patients.
Corwin is now focusing resources on trauma, orthopedic and cancer care.
But their ER isn’t going anywhere.
“There is certainly a need for more than one ER in town, and we looked at that,” Cafasso said.
“The community needs this emergency room to be open.”
Parkview, on the other hand, is trying to accommodate the influx of ER patients by expanding their waiting room and hiring more personnel. That construction project aims to double the size of their ER department.
