LANSING – In a victory for the citizens of eastside Detroit, State Representative Bettie Cook Scott (D-Detroit) today lauded St. John Health for keeping open the emergency room on the campus of the former Detroit Riverview Hospital, which provides much needed health services for local seniors and lower-income residents.
"Along with many area residents, I lobbied hard to ensure that the emergency room at Detroit Riverview remained open," Scott said. "Thankfully, St. John Health heard the citizens of eastside Detroit loud and clear, and made the right decision."
At this time, it is vital that residents utilize the facility so it remains a viable option, Scott added.
The Detroit Riverview Hospital was closed by St. John Health in June, but the emergency room remained open as a new health system looked at renovating the facility. In July, a judge stopped the health system from leaving its current home at the Detroit Medical Center and moving to Detroit Riverview, putting the future of the emergency room at risk.
St. John is currently looking at alternative uses for the remaining space in Detroit Riverview, including outpatient clinics, an educational facility for health care workers or senior housing. Tests such as CT scans and X-rays are still performed at Riverview to support physicians still practicing on-site, and an outpatient pharmacy still dispenses drugs.
"There is a large population of elderly and low-income residents in the Detroit Riverview neighborhood," Scott said. "Closing this emergency room would have been an additional hardship on people who are struggling just to get by in these difficult economic times. I look forward to continue working with St. John Health and the community to ensure that Detroit Riverview continues to provide much needed, important medical services to local residents."