SUNBURY, Pa. -- One of the big health systems in our area is closing one of its hospitals.
UPMC Susquehanna Sunbury will close early next year. Hospital officials made the announcement Thursday morning.
Officials at UPMC Susquehanna said the Sunbury hospital is closing, partly because people in this area are going to other hospitals for their care.
The facility will close on March 31, 2020.
The hospital has been in Sunbury for nearly 125 years.
Sunbury city administrator Jody Ocker is worried about the effect the closing will have on people in Sunbury.
"I'm very concerned about our residents' access to care," Ocker said. "We have people that are getting around on their electric scooters and their bicycles. They don't have access to reliable transportation."
UPMC Susquehanna's president said one of the reasons it is closing is that people in this area are going to other hospitals for their care.
A spokesperson for UPMC Susquehanna tells Newswatch 16 that 153 people work in the facility. The health system hopes to relocate as many of those people to other hospitals as possible.
UPMC owns hospitals in Williamsport and Muncy. The health system plans to reach out to current patients to discuss options.
"I think it's a shame for the area that we won't have a hospital in the town. I'm hoping they'll change their mind and stay," said resident Tammy Mordan.
UPMC owns hospitals in Williamsport and Muncy. The health system plans to reach out to current patients to discuss options. The hospital was taken over by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in October of 2017. Before that, it was known as Sunbury Community Hospital.
The closest hospitals to Sunbury are Evangelical Community Hospital near Lewisburg and Geisinger Medical Center near Danville.
There are no plans yet for the future of this building.