News that most of the buildings at the former St. Vincent Medical Center will be demolished next year has residents of Cleveland’s Central community concerned about their future medical care.
The buildings in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood have largely been vacant since the Sisters of Charity closed their ER and in patient services in 2022. And over the last two months St. Vincent has wound down most of the buildings' final services — including urgent care, occupational health and the cafeteria.
Outside of the Skyline Tower Senior Apartments located across the street from St. Vincent, resident Monique Jackson said she was disappointed when the center’s urgent care closed in September, and sees the planned demolitions as continuing the disinvestment in the neighborhood.
“This is a big community, it’s close to downtown," Jackson said. "You have housing here, the school. I mean if something was to happen, [people would] have to go so far away just to get to the doctor.”
Lorain resident Derrick Little stopped to answer questions as he was bringing food to his grandparents who live in Skyline.
He said the demolitions would bring a finality to the reduced services at St. Vincent.
“My grandfather had to get on the bus to go all the way up to 79th and Euclid to get his medicine instead of going right over here now," said Little. "By them doing that, it’s just caused a lot for them seniors to get around and get to the hospital.”
He said he would often eat at the cafeteria located inside the former hospital.
Brad Rauh, the vice president of Capital Management Services at St. Vincent Charity Community Health Center, said the pharmacy has moved to the basement of the Sisters of Charity medical office building across the street from the former hospital. He said the organization hopes to open a small cafe in some way in the same building, while continuing to offer meal pop ups through their Mission Kitchen program.
Sisters of Charity officials said in a statement the demolition of the buildings marks a new chapter—the formation of a Health and Healing Hub, where the organization will consolidate services to a few buildings, partner with community organizations and focus on serving various needs of the neighborhood, including expanding primary care, serving food and continuing their detox and mental health services.
But several of those plans have been delayed. The organization announced a partnership with Neighborhood Family Practice to open a health center on W. 22nd Street, originally planned to open in January, but Rauh said the site has not been purchased yet, and the opening date is yet to be announced.
Activist and local resident Walter Patton said the community has lost faith they will receive health services from St. Vincent.
"They're not giving us any forewarnings of closing or shutting down certain services like emergency care in the first place," he said. "Now, people are just going to [other hospitals]. We are just trying to find our way because historically, in the Central community, we've always had to adapt to what we had."
Rauh said he expects the demolition of the buildings to be completed by the end of next year.
If the demolition goes as planned, only one small outpatient building on the 500,000-square-foot campus will remain. Rauh said there are currently no plans to redevelop the site or sell it.
