LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. — St. Elizabeth Dearborn, the only major hospital in Dearborn County, Indiana, will close its intensive care unit (ICU) and stop performing overnight emergency surgeries this spring, hospital officials confirmed.
The changes come as the facility works to consolidate services and ensure its long-term viability.
Angela Roberts, chief nursing officer and site administrator at the Lawrenceburg facility, said the decision followed six to nine months of review by a team of clinicians and operations managers.
"It was a decision that was well thought out. It wasn't just a snap at the finger," Roberts said. "Health care is changing right now because of many different things, some legislative, some of the high cost of supplies, high cost of pharmaceuticals, high cost of labor."
The ICU closure is driven in part by declining patient volume. Roberts said the unit once averaged a daily census of about seven patients, but that number has dropped to around four or four-and-a-half in recent years.
She said the hospital has already been transferring many critical patients to St. Elizabeth facilities in Florence and Edgewood, Kentucky, which offer 24/7 physician coverage and specialized services such as neurology that are not available at the Dearborn County facility.
WATCH: St. Elizabeth Dearborn to close its ICU and cut overnight emergency surgeries this spring
Overnight emergency surgeries are also being eliminated. Roberts said only six such surgeries — performed between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. — took place in each of the last two years.
When asked about the risks of delayed travel time for emergency patients, Roberts said the hospital has taken steps to address that concern.
"We have ensured that there will be transport available. We do have transport on-site 24/7, and now, when that transport service is out on a run, we will have a squad coming to Dearborn to be available if they are needed," Roberts said.
Roberts said that the hospital itself is not closing, and the facility will continue to focus on high-volume services, including its emergency department, endoscopy unit, outpatient radiology and elective surgeries, which are at their highest levels in years.
The hospital is also adding a new MRI machine, exploring a cardiac CT scanner and considering upgrades to its emergency department.
Roberts said that St. Elizabeth Dearborn has received a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services two years in a row, making it one of 12 such facilities in Indiana and one of three in the Greater Cincinnati area.
It's not the first time the hospital has scaled back services. St. Elizabeth Dearborn closed its birthing center at the end of 2023. Roberts said the facility was averaging about one birth per day, which was not enough to sustain quality care and staff competency. Those services were also transitioned to Edgewood.
Roberts told us ICU staff will have options within the St. Elizabeth system.
She said the organization has kept ICU positions open at other facilities in preparation for the transition, and affected employees will be able to choose from a range of comparable roles, including positions in the ICU, emergency department and cardiac catheterization lab.
Not everyone in the community is satisfied with the decision.
Karen Murphy has lived in Lawrenceburg for more than 40 years. She said the changes feel like a disservice to the people who depend on the hospital.
Murphy said the loss of overnight emergency surgery coverage is especially troubling given the travel time to the nearest alternative.
"If you're in a critical situation, time is of the essence. What's going to happen? You're just going to write them off? That is really, really sad. Where's the humanity in that?" Murphy said.
She also said she is concerned about residents who lack reliable transportation, including seniors.
"You got the seniors that depend upon getting close, being close enough to the hospital if they need help. What about them? What if they don't drive? What if they can't call a close relative to help them? What if, then what are you leaving them behind?" Murphy said.
Murphy said the closures send a troubling message about how the community is valued.
"We need, we need those services," Murphy said.
Murphy said she has seen primary care physicians leave the St. Elizabeth system in recent years, adding to her concerns about access to care in the area. She said she believes the community is growing and deserves a fully functioning hospital.
The closures also hit close to home for Murphy personally. She said her great-grandson was born at UC Medical Center in January because the birthing center at St. Elizabeth Dearborn no longer exists, requiring a 40 to 45-minute drive.
"What if there was a complication? What would have happened to my great-grandson?" Murphy said. "They're whittling themselves out of our community, which we had really high hopes that it would thrive and it'd be a place that we knew we could get the help if we needed."
Roberts said she understands the frustration and shares some of it.
"I believe it just needs to take time for this to sink in, and there's a lot of emotion right now. I had a lot of emotion with it, and I think over time, the community will accept it," Roberts said.
She said the changes are being made proactively to prevent a more drastic outcome of a complete hospital closure — a reality seen in other rural communities across the country.
"We don't want that to happen here, and that's exactly why we're making these changes in a proactive way, instead of reactive," Roberts said. "So we make sure we're here for the future for this community."
The ICU closure and elimination of overnight emergency surgeries are expected to take effect in mid-May.
