EXPRESS FILE PHOTO The entrance to UPMC Lock Haven is pictured above.

LOCK HAVEN — As UPMC North Central Pennsylvania announces it will turn UPMC Lock Haven Hospital into an outpatient emergency center, local officials are not happy.

For financial and related reasons, UPMC announced it will convert UPMC Lock Haven along Cree Drive, and connected to the Susque View Nursing Home, into a state-of-the-art emergency department — what it calls the “first of its kind in the commonwealth under the new guidance provided for Innovative Hospital Models.”

UPMC said UPMC Lock Haven experienced a $4.4 million operating loss in 2022. That on top of its acquisition cost of $5.2 million in 2017, plus $4 million in capital investment since that and millions more in in support of community-based health program partnerships, physician practice support, and other “in-kind” health and social services in 2021.

The move will apparently result in a large number of UPMC Lock Haven employees being offered jobs at other UPMC facilities.

Which departments stay remains to be seen.

Lock Haven Mayor Joel Long called the move “scary.”

“I was surprised to hear of the changes. We found out about this just before the announcement. There was no communication from UPMC that they were considering these changes,” he said.

“It’s disappointing and frankly a bit scary. Hopefully there’s not another large health emergency like we experienced in 2020. I’m thankful that the people will retain their jobs.”

Clinton County Commissioners Angela Harding, Miles Kessinger and Jeff Snyder also weighed in.

“The commissioners are disappointed by the recent news of UPMC Lock Haven’s transition to an Outpatient Emergency Room facility. The commissioners were involved in late conversations regarding the facility and understood at that time that none of the options included the hospital remaining ‘as is,'” they said in a prepared statement.

“Rural health care has been at risk for some time and unfortunately, small community hospitals across Pennsylvania are struggling. Lock Haven is no different.”

Yet, they said they tried to convince UPMC not to make this decision, suggesting there had been discussion with local officials in advance of Friday’s announcement.

“This is definitely not the outcome we hoped for. We wanted the inpatient facility to remain in our community. We understand UPMC is a private company and at this point, we have to be thankful we are going to have emergency care for our residents” said Commissioner Miles Kessinger.

Commissioner Snyder continued, “we are grateful to state Sen. Cris Dush, who worked very hard to keep Lock Haven Hospital in our community. He and other local legislators put in an amazing effort for several days working with the state and industry leaders. I think people need to understand how close we were to losing the facility.”

The UPMC Lock Haven announcement discussed the goal to keep existing staff and possibly relocate them to other facilities.

Commissioner Harding expressed concern for local staff and the result on the local economy.

“We, as a community, need to support the services we have in our community or we will lose them. We can’t wait until its gone and then be angry about it. Clinton County will lose opportunities if we do not have basic public emergency services.”

The commissioners believe that UPMC Lock Haven, Bucktail Medical Center and Geisinger all play an important role in public health and safety, as well as educational experiences and economic development.

The commissioners agreed they will support UPMC through the transition.