Laurel hospital to cease inpatient services, upsetting community

The last time a hospital closed in Maryland, Bill Clinton was president, Celine Dion was at the top of the music charts and Michael Jordan announced his retirement from basketball.

It was 1999 and Liberty Medical Center, New Children's Hospital and Church Hospital in Baltimore all shuttered their doors, blaming low occupancy, steep revenue declines and the challenge of competing as a small hospital.

Sixteen years later, Laurel Regional Hospital is ending its status as a full-service hospital — a move that has triggered outrage and protest from politicians, union leaders and residents.

"The whole situation has put a bad taste in people's mouths," said Laurel Mayor Craig A. Moe. "People are very frustrated. They are very concerned and don't know what is going on."

The dramatic changes at Laurel Regional, which has already shut the maternal and child health department, come as a new wave of hospital closures is hitting the country. Hospitals face increased revenue pressures from Obamacare, and in Maryland from a special agreement with federal government, pushing care out of hospitals and placing more focus on preventive medicine.

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