Cindy Russo, president of Insight Hospital & Medical Center at Trumbull, talks Tuesday during a news conference at the former Trumbull Regional Medical Center, which formerly was owned by Steward Health Care. The hospital now is owned by Insight Health System, which also owns Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Howland, now known as Insight Rehabilitation Hospital Hillside.

WARREN — There were certain characteristics about the internal operations at the former Trumbull Regional Medical Center that were plainly obvious when leaders of the hospital’s new operator — Michigan-based Insight Health System — visited for the first time in early September.

There also were strong external forces that made a lasting imprint.

“The community is unbelievably invested in this hospital. We are seeing elected officials, important members of the community, nurses, physicians, staff; they are very much wanting this hospital to survive,” said Dr. Jawad Shah, founder and CEO of Insight Health. “This was one of our biggest assessments coming in.”

Upon speaking with folks inside the East Market Street facility, it took little time to recognize the hospital “is a fixture that is needed in the community, and that is how we decided this was something we should take seriously,” he said.

Internally, many of the pillars Insight Health was founded upon — from clinical safety to regulatory and legal compliance to financial stability to community presence to operational efficiency — already were in place.

“We were so surprised at how many of these pillars actually existed,” Shah said. “It was a matter of discovering that as opposed to doing something to change the reality on the ground.”

Shah, a neurosurgeon, met with the media Tuesday in the front lobby of what is now Insight Hospital & Medical Center at Trumbull. The event also was attended by several community, elected and business leaders, as well as doctors and staff.

Insight Health was named interim operator of the hospital and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital — renamed Insight Rehabilitation Hospital Hillside — in September as part of the Steward Health Care bankruptcy.

The company was later named permanent operator and ownership of the facilities as well as several affiliated satellite offices was transferred in October.

The facilities also have transferred from for-profit to nonprofit, one of the key accomplishments since Insight Health assumed operations.

“It allows us to unlock so many resources, whether federal programs, grants, etc., etc., so it allows us to open that door now,” to position the facilities for success, Shah said.

Other notable wins include stabilizing the staff, which stands between 500 and 600, but with room to grow, and bringing neurology and neurosurgery to Trumbull. In fact, the first neurosurgery was done at Trumbull last week, making it the first time the procedure was done in Trumbull County in more than 15 years, according to the company.

Shah said Insight Health is still working through revenue cycle management to ensure financial fitness, but volumes have increased as have emergency visits, charges and surgeries.

Future plans include acquiring a new da Vinci surgical robot and converting the gift shop into a retail pharmacy. Other plans include expanding cardiac and behavioral health services as well as hiring 109 people at Trumbull and 26 at Hillside, according to the company.

Said Dr. Rany Aburashed, chief medical officer for Insight Health, “Everytime we have acquired a hospital, there is sort of a new challenge. You walk in and you’re starting over. What is the community like? What is the medical staff like? One thing I will say that has been incredible, and I mean this, not because we are doing this press conference, (but) the physicians in this hospital are some of the best I have ever experienced, met or seen,” he said. “What I mean by best, I mean technical, the way they operate, their skills, their training.”

Others who spoke were Warren Mayor Doug Franklin, Trumbull County Commissioner Denny Malloy and Guy Coviello, president / CEO of the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber.

SHARON REGIONAL

Meanwhile, across the Pennsylvania state line at Sharon Regional Medical Center, a closure notice has been filed for the downtown Sharon, Pa., facility.

According to a bankruptcy court filing Monday, the proposed closure date is Jan. 6. Objections must be filed within three days of the closure notice.

The filing followed an announcement by Meadville Medical Center, which had been trying to acquire Sharon Regional, that it was no longer able to proceed with the transaction “after determining that adequate funding to financially stabilize the hospital for the long-term was unable to be secured,” according to a news release.

Meadville Medical Center submitted a letter of interest to acquire Sharon Regional on Aug. 16, contingent on financial support from various third parties.

The release from Meadville states officials there “invested a substantial amount of time and resources in this effort, and we are incredibly disappointed in the outcome.”

“MMC has remained consistent as to the amount of funding it would take to stabilize SRMC for the long term. However, without adequate funding, proceeding any further would be irresponsible,” the release states.

Shah said he’s not ruling out Insight Health acquiring Sharon Regional. He said he visited the facility Tuesday.

“I can say we would definitely be interested in helping if we really are needed in that community. If this is something the community really wants of us or expects of us, it is something we would consider because Sharon was integrated with these other hospitals,” Shah said. “I don’t feel comfortable walking away from the hospital, but at the same time I understand there is leadership, management in place. There are other elements in the community I don’t want to get in the middle of if perhaps there is a better solution than us, but if we’re needed and in a position to help … I would not rule it out.”