WASHINGTON — The plan to turn Laurel Regional Hospital into a walk-in care center ran into opposition on Monday night.
More than 100 people turned out for a forum in reaction to Dimensions Healthcare’s decision to downsize the hospital to 30 beds while continuing to provide emergency and diagnostic services and outpatient surgery, The Baltimore Sun reports.
Laurel Mayor Craig Moe was among those upset by the news, saying that he suspected the decision had something to do with a regional medical center coming to Largo, which Dimensions is building in partnership with Prince George’s County and the University of Maryland Medical System.
“They don’t want any competition for the new system — they want that money to stay within the system,” Moe said.
“I’m all for a regional medical center, but not at the cost of losing [Laurel Regional Hospital].”
He also said of Dimensions, “I don’t think they’ve done a very good job over the years. It’s time for Dimensions to move on.”
Other leaders at the forum included Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk, D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s, who said that state law should an outline specific process for closing a hospital.
“If there is no process, then we need to put in a process so that this doesn’t happen anywhere else,” she said.
Bill Williams, of Laurel, said that the hospital’s reach goes past the city.
“It serves four counties, and citizens from all four counties use and need this service system,” Williams said.
City Councilmember Fred Smalls sits on the Dimensions board and voted against the closure, said he had argued that the board needed to be more transparent, decrying “decisions that are made in a board room without the public’s opinion.”
And Councilmember Donna Crary vowed, “This is just the beginning … because we’re going to fight.”
