Ohio hospital’s closure leaves disappointment

When Insight Health Systems purchased the Trumbull Regional Medical Center in Warren, Ohio amidst the turmoil from Steward Health Care’s bankruptcy, local residents cheered the preservation of its hospital.

Now, a little over a year later, the hospital, now called Insight Hospital & Medical Center Trumbull, has been shuttered for much of the year and its future is uncertain.

The hospital has lost its certification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Ohio Department of Health is moving to revoke the facility’s license.

The medical center closed its doors just before Thanksgiving. The Ohio health department sent notification in November that it was moving to revoke its license, and Insight has requested a hearing. The health department says a date for the hearing has not been scheduled.

The hospital's website states, "We are currently on diversion for all services as of 9:00 AM November 26, 2025. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911."

Insight has said it’s working to reopen the facility. While the facility could have remained open until that hearing, the medical center closed all services Nov. 26.

The medical center closed its doors in March, but reopened its emergency room in October. But the hospital closed all services again last week.

In an email, the Ohio Department of Health said it “proposed to revoke the hospital’s state licensure, for violations including failing to properly heat the facility and failing to provide appropriate care for a patient.” The department notified Insight of its plans Nov. 17.

The Ohio health department said the action follows a series of health department inspections dating back to September. And the department said it stepped up its inspections after the medical center lost its Medicare certification.

“With CMS no longer certifying the facility, ODH expanded its monitoring to include both life safety codes (deferred maintenance and equipment) as well as patient care and safety concerns,” the department said in its email. “After further ODH inspections revealed new violations, the department sent Insight the notice of intention to revoke state licensure.”

The CMS said in October that the medical center had fallen short of requirements to participate in Medicare, including discharge planning and certain requirements under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.

CMS said the Medicare program would not make payment for inpatient hospital services after Oct. 10, and said it would pay for patients admitted before that date for up to 30 days.

Insight told WKBN-TV that the Ohio Department of Health has placed roadblocks affecting its Medicare certification, and disputed the health department’s assessment of the medical center, saying “the clinical and facility care has been outstanding.” “Because of the department’s inaccurate accusations and setting back the reopening process, the hospital is not able to function in a sustainable manner,” Insight told WKBN.

Warren Mayor Doug Franklin told WKBN-TV that he was dismayed by the hospital’s closure last week.

“I’m very disappointed and frustrated, in a word, just because I know the amount of work, correspondence and the effort that has been put into the reopening of the hospital,” Franklin said.

An attempt for comment from Insight wasn’t successful.

Based in Flint, Michigan, Insight announced a deal to acquire the Trumbull medical center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in September 2024. Both facilities are based in Warren, a city of 39,000 just over an hour from Cleveland.

Insight acquired the facilities just days before Steward Health Care had planned to close the facilities. Steward, the for-profit system based in Dallas, Texas, filed for bankruptcy last year and sold off most of its hospitals.

The Hillside facility, renamed Insight Rehabilitation Hospital Hillside, also closed its doors in the spring and has yet to reopen. Insight sent a notice to the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services in March that it was laying off all 143 employees at Hillside.

The Ohio Nurses Association denounced the loss of nursing jobs and reduced access to care. Rick Lucas, president and executive director of the Ohio Nurses Association, said in July that the group wants clarity about the possible future plans for the Hillside site.

“The closure of Hillside wasn’t just the shutdown of a building — it ripped away critical rehabilitative services from patients recovering from strokes, surgeries, and life-altering conditions,” Lucas said in July.