Update: Patrick County hospital announces closure
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The parking lot was full at the Pioneer Community Hospital on Thursday, but it won't be that way for long.
The hospital released the following statement Wednesday evening:
Patrick County's Emergency Services Coordinator says the county doesn't have career EMS workers. They're all volunteers and this will really affect them.
"It's took our transport times from about 30 minutes to two to three hours due to us having to go to Martinsville or a northern hospital in Surry County, maybe Galax, Twin Count," says Emergency Services Coordinator, Steve Allen.
Allen says he was blindsided by the announcement. He, and the rest of the county were under the impression a sale was going through at the end of the month.
"Yesterday at 12:57 I got a phone call from the hospital giving me a heads up that as of 5:00 yesterday the ER was not accepting any more patients, that everything would be on diversion," says Allen.
We've reached out to the hospital for additional comment but have not heard back.
Medical workers in Patrick County are being asked to divert patients away from the emergency department at Pioneer Community Hospital in Stuart.
Workers in the hospital's emergency room began diverting patients away from the facility at 5 PM Wednesday, according to Patrick County Emergency Services Coordinator Steve Allen.
Allen tells WDBJ7 he has been informed that the emergency department has shut down.
WDBJ7 has reached out to hospital administrators for comment and additional information regarding the closure. Our calls have not been returned.