Mount Carmel Health System is shuttering its Franklinton emergency department and shifting focus to primary and preventative care in the Columbus neighborhood.
Mount Carmel, owned by Michigan-based Trinity Health System, said in a press release that the shift emphasized its commitment to “access, affordability, preventative care, and continuity.”
“This transformation is about making it easier for people to get the right care at the right time at an affordable price,” said Brian Pierson, president of Mount Carmel South Region. “We are growing smarter with the community and aligning our services with what the neighborhood needs now and in the future.”
The emergency department at 120 S. Green St will close on August 22, while the new clinic, named Franklinton Care Center, is slated to open on August 24 at 775 W. Broad St.
The new center will be open for walk-in and same day primary care. Other services available will include preventative and wellness services, women’s health and mental health care.
Reducing emergency visits, not medical care
Mount Carmel noted in a press release that while services are changing the system’s “commitment to Franklinton is not.” The aim with these new services is to reduce emergency visits through preventative care, the health system said.
Emergency departments are often the most expensive point of care for Americans. Internal data from Mount Carmel shows that most people visiting the emergency department did not actually require emergency services, according to the health system’s press release, and same-day primary care and “wrap-around support” would better meet their needs.
A study from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that in 2021, emergency departments visits cost Americans $80.3 billion, with an average cost per visit of $750.
“Our goal is to offer services in Franklinton that genuinely reflect community need,” Pierson said in the release. “We are evolving our services to grow preventative and wellness care that is flexible, easier to access, and more affordable for the community.”
Mount Carmel has had a presence in Franklinton since it was first founded in Columbus 140 years ago with a single hospital. It now has five hospitals in central Ohio, with over 2,000 physicians as well as the Mount Carmel College of Nursing.
Business and consumer issues reporter Samantha Hendrickson can be reached at shendrickson@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mount Carmel to shutter Franklinton ED, but open new care clinic
Reporting by Samantha Hendrickson, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Samantha Hendrickson, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
