Does anyone else have the feeling of deja vu?

Back in August of 2019, we all learned that Alecto Healthcare Services planned to close its two local hospitals –Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling and East Ohio Regional Hospital in Martins Ferry — within two to three months.

Signs of trouble had been evident for a few moths prior to that. In February, both facilities invited patients to just pay half of any outstanding bills owed to them for medical services provided prior to 2019. It was touted as a “win-win” deal, allowing the hospitals to collect revenue while reducing patients’ debt.

Less than a month later, a “Reduction in Force” was announced for both hospitals. About 70 employees were laid off between the two locations, helping to offset a $37 million loss over the two years since Alecto had acquired the sister hospitals.

By early September, OVMC had closed. Before the end of the month, EORH followed suit.

In spring 2020, local residents and officials became hopeful again, when psychiatrist Dr. John Johnson, who owns and operates other medical facilities, purchased the Martins Ferry hospital. It reopened its doors in February 2021, having secured a deal with the city that would return 75% of all city income tax revenue paid by its employees back to the facility when capital improvements were made.

Fast forward to 2024, and on a couple of occasions employees began to complain that they had not been paid on time. The first such reports remained under the radar and seemed that they could have been isolated incidents.

But in August, then-chief operating officer Bernie Albertini and Unified Bank announced that a delay in processing wire transfers had held up employees’ paychecks again. Within a month, Albertini had resigned, though his successor, Julie Ross, said his reasons for doing so had nothing to do with the processing of payroll.

Early this year, it became apparent that the challenges for EORH were only growing. First the hospital announced it was closing its long-term care and skilled nursing facility. Next, it was revealed that the hospital owed more than $1.2 million in delinquent real estate taxes to Belmont County.

Martins Ferry City Council met in emergency session on March 4 and released nearly $34,000 in income taxes owed back to the hospital, using that money to make a payment on its behalf to the Belmont County treasurer to avoid the start foreclosure proceedings.

Just one day later, EORH employees were advised to seek coverage through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace, since The Health Plan had discontinued its coverage due to nonpayment. And the facility announced it would discontinue all laparoscopic procedures in its operating room because its could not “reprocess” those scopes at the time.

A little more than a week ago, the facility again failed to make payroll. Early reports indicated that could be remedied by Tuesday, but the day came and went with no paychecks issued. Employees and supporters protested the lack of payment on Wednesday.

On Friday, the layoffs began in what officials termed a “temporary reduction in workforce.”

I certainly hope that is an accurate description of the situation, but I have my doubts. It all just sounds and feels too familiar for me to hold out much hope that the hospital’s finances will recover to a point where it can continue to operate without a change of ownership.

Many members of the public have been pining for WVU Medicine or Trinity Health System to save the day, riding to the rescue by buying the hospital and incorporating it into their already successful systems.

I think that is likely a pipe dream. WVU Medicine is well established with facilities in Barnesville, Cadiz, Wheeling, Glen Dale, Weirton and other parts of West Virginia. Trinity, meanwhile, has its sights set on St. Clairsville and the July opening of its hospital under construction there.

I hate to be negative, but I fear that Martins Ferry may soon be a city without its own hospital.