By The Star Staff
Pavía Hospital in Hato Rey announced Thursday that it will transform its facilities to offer only specialized mental health services in response to the increase in suicide cases and mental health conditions on the island.
“This restructuring reaffirms the social commitment we have with the health and well-being of Puerto Ricans and seeks to meet that need,” said Carlos Santiago Rosario, executive director of the hospital, in a written statement.
The hospital will have a multidisciplinary team that includes psychiatrists led by Dr. Héctor Cott and internist Andrés Calvo, an addiction expert, Santiago Rosario said. It will also offer electroconvulsive therapy under the direction of psychiatrists José Vigo, Roberto Zayas and Efraín del Valle.
The announcement came after Desireé López Ramírez, the international representative of the United Auto Workers in Puerto Rico (UAW), said the management of Pavía Hospital was planning to close the hospital, a move that would leave hundreds of employees on the street and patients without health services.
She said some 100 employees, including registered and practical nurses, operating room technicians, pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, laboratory staff and maintenance workers could be impacted. In addition, the consequences of a closure would reach key departments such as radiology, emergency room, operating room, intensive care room, medical laboratory, and respiratory therapy, among others, said the official of the UAW, the union representing hospital employees.
“The announcement of the closure has raised concern among the hospital staff because no details have been provided as to how, when, and why the hospital is closing,” López Ramírez said. “It is unacceptable for a hospital to close its doors without offering a clear explanation to its employees or to the patients who depend on the vital services provided here. We are facing a scenario of uncertainty that affects the stability of more than 100 families and puts at risk the care of between 200 and 250 patients per month, not counting the outpatient surgeries, gastroscopies and colonoscopies that are performed in this institution.”
The union representative added that the situation is getting worse at Pavía because, according to information obtained by UAW, as of Nov. 1 doctors will not be able to perform hospitalizations.
“This leaves patients in limbo, not knowing where they will receive the hospital care they need,” López Ramírez said. “The hospital claims that it will be transformed to address mental health, but what they are achieving is impacting the mental health of their own employees with this uncertainty.”
It was unclear at press time if the change to the medical facility would result in layoffs.
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