St. Luke's Medical Center in Phoenix closing in November
PHOENIX - After more than 100 years of providing medical service to the Valley, St. Luke's Medical Center announced that they will be closing on Sunday, Nov. 24, according to a press release on the hospital website.
The hospital on 18th St. and Van Buren has seen steady decline in the number of patients using their facility, wrote James Flinn, president of St. Luke's Medical Center. Flinn said their occupancy rate has been below 40%, and emergency department visits have decreased by 16% over the past two years.
"The trend is clear: many St. Luke’s patients and community members have decided to go to other health care facilities for their medical needs," said Flinn. "When hospital volumes decrease below critical levels, our ability to provide safe, high-quality care could be compromised."
Steward Health Care has been contacting St. Luke's patients to help them transition their procedures and treatments to other sister hospitals in the meantime, according to the release.
Flinn said the medical facility will stop taking ambulances and admissions to their emergency department on Nov. 23, and any remaining patients in the hospital by Nov. 24 will be transferred to the St. Luke's in Tempe or to Mountain Vista Medical Center.