Pat Morgan moved back to Braddock about 18 months ago, and the town's hospital has been a lifesaver for her family.
Doctors at UPMC Braddock treated her brother after he fell off a roof, but now, with the hospital scheduled to close, Morgan and others are worried they'll no longer be able to get that kind of immediate, lifesaving care.
"And what about all the kids with asthma and all the other people with emergency needs?" Morgan, 59, asked Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato at a town meeting in Braddock Wednesday night. "We absolutely need health care available at that site. No questions about it."
Morgan was one of about 300 who showed up at the Braddock Carnegie Library Music Hall to discuss how to confront the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's decision to close the hospital on Jan. 31.
Dozens of calm but angry residents portrayed UPMC as a bully, abandoning a needy town while the nonprofit health system makes millions annually.
Several local agencies have made informal proposals to take over operations at the Braddock hospital, but they may be too small to do it, Onorato said, declining to give details.
Council President Jesse Brown plans to pursue actions over "civil rights concerns," but he gave no details.
Onorato, Brown and Mayor John Fetterman shrugged off recent squabbles to present a united front, urging people to channel their anger at UPMC officials and toward a constructive resolution.
As eight uniformed sheriff's deputies, and borough and county police stood around the room, dozens of people calmly asked Onorato what can be done.
Onorato said he wanted to avoid making promises he couldn't keep. Several people asked about seeking a court injunction, but Onorato said that has not been a successful way to fight other hospital closings.
The county is holding talks with UPMC officials, proposing different options in the hope UPMC will keep some care available at the site, Onorato's spokesman Kevin Evanto said. At the least, county officials want to find a way to maintain the building until other options materialize, he added.
"We have a right to be angry. We have a right to express our anger to UPMC about this decision," Onorato said to the crowd early in the two-hour meeting.
"This was a decision of UPMC's board and we need to deal with them directly. I'm not sure what it is, but they have an obligation ... to the community here."
Several people criticized UPMC for building a hospital in Monroeville, where another hospital exists, while acting to close Braddock's only hospital. Onorato agreed, adding that he initially supported UPMC's Monroeville investment.
"I hope you assure them that, if this goes down, 'Don't ever come back with your hand out for anything,'" said John Hempel, 59, of Braddock Hills.
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