Sep 6, 2023 2 min read

UPMC management is ruthless

I am writing in support of Melissa Duran’s recent op-ed expressing caution about the proposed acquisition of Washington Health System by UPMC.

I lived in Braddock for many years before being able to move to Washington County. The Braddock Hospital was a community treasure that people relied on not just for medical needs, but also to meet friends in the coffee shop and use the ATM machine. When UPMC bought the hospital, they said how committed they were to serving the community. An apartment building for senior citizens was constructed next door, relying on this commitment. UPMC began to improve the facade and grounds of the hospital, but all the while they were removing treatment programs which were transferred to Shadyside Hospital or their other big facilities. Many people in the Braddock community do not have cars, and it was difficult for them to get to these other locations for treatment. Eventually, UPMC declared that Braddock Hospital was underutilized, quickly tore it down, and began building UPMC East in Monroeville, close to the existing Forbes Regional Hospital.

Closing Braddock Hospital tore the heart out of the community, and the quick demolition made sure the building could not be used for anything else. The medical personnel at UPMC do stellar work, but the management is ruthless. They will think nothing of closing Washington Hospital, which will probably begin by shuttering the maternity ward. As Duran points out, lower-level workers are now subcontracted employees who are not eligible for health insurance or other benefits. It is disgraceful that this massive hospital system will not provide health care to their housekeepers, security, medical transcriptionists and others; instead the American taxpayer has to do this.

For those who rely on Washington Health System, watch out. Difficult changes will surely come.

John Bogaard

Houston