Emergency Department Temporarily Closed In Madison

MADISON, OH — University Hospitals is temporarily closing the Madison Health Center emergency room.

The closure comes amid a COVID-19 surge among patients and staff, according to ideastream. Healthy workers will be transferred to other sites. The facility's closure will be reevaluated on Jan. 17.

Other portions of the Health Center, including physical therapy and primary care, will remain open.

“As hospitals across the country are being impacted by the surge in COVID-19 patients, we remain committed to providing the safest and highest quality of care to our patients in Lake County and surrounding communities,” said UH Lake Health President Cynthia Moore-Hardy. “This move is for an indefinite period of time as we address immediate needs. We appreciate the flexibility and dedication of our caregivers, who have served our hospitals and community heroically throughout the pandemic.”

University Hospitals still has emergency departments open at TriPoint Medical Center, Lake Weset Medical Center and at hospitals in Geneva. There are also urgent cares in Mentor and Willowick.

Northeast Ohio has been grappling with a COVID-19 surge since before the holidays. Many of the region's largest hospital chains — including the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals — were forced to delay nonessential inpatient surgeries to preserve bed space and free up doctors and nurses.

Ohio is currently averaging more than 16,000 new COVID-19 cases per day. More than 330 Ohioans are being hospitalized with COVID-19 daily, according to the state health department.