MCP supporters seek injunction to block closure plans
Philadelphia Business Journal
2:11 PM EST Tuesday Dec.30, 2003

John George
S taff Writer

The "Save Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital Coalition" has gone to court to keep the East Falls medical center open. The group filed a motion at Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia Tuesday seeking a preliminary injunction to block Tenet Healthcare Corp. from following through on its plans to close MCP in March.
Tenet, a publicly traded hospital management company based in California, announced it was closing the historic 153-year-old hospital earlier this month because of escalating financial losses that had reached $5 million per month.

Tuesday afternoon, dozens of hospitals workers and supporters participated in a rally the coalition held outside Tenet's regional headquarters in Center City.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter told the crowd he was working with the federal Department of Health and Human Services to explore ways to provide special funding to keep the hospital afloat. Specter also said one prospective buyer for the hospital "may be in the picture," but it was too soon to identify the organization.

Philadelphia City Councilman Michael Nutter, who resigned from his seat on MCP's board after Tenet announced its plans to close the facility, said City Council will be holding public hearings in January to investigate whether Tenet's actions violate any of the provisions the company made with the city when it took over the Allegheny's health system's bankrupt hospitals in 1998. Nutter said Tenet received financial incentives and tax breaks from the city as part of the deal,

Nutter noted Tenet entered Philadelphia with the pledge to "Let the healing begin" after expanding into the Philadelphia region.

"Well, I say let the fighting begin," he said.

In addition to MCP, Tenet also operates Hahnemann University, Graduate, Warminster and Roxborough Memorial hospitals, along with St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. Earlier this year, Tenet closed Parkview Hospital and sold Elkins Park Hospital to the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network.