Fort Worth Osteopathic closes its doors

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2004

HOLLY COW !!!!!!!!! This is not good.... I have a bunch of nurse friends that work there. And several friends going into the PA program there. Do you know if they will continue to train DO's and PA's? This is horrible, and makes me wonder about other hospitals here. The hospitals are flooded already (flu season) where are these people going to go!!!!! This is just bad bad bad....

I know they've been having their share of problems lately but wow...I was caught off guard today to hear they closed their doors suddently today. ...said they were 'out of money' literally. Patients were being transferred and nurses, staff were scrambling for jobs. This hospital is a huge teaching center for osteopathic physicians, PA's and other healthcare staff...and they run a huge clinic for the public as well.
Lots of questions on my mind too...where will these patients go? I see more crowded ER's and wards in our future in Fort Worth.
Hope all the nurses are finding decent jobs and didn't get taken to the bank on their retirement funds. Hope their savings were not tied to the facility, and were protected..

bioniclewoman · Oct 9, 2004

I was wondering why the news didn't mention anything about the DO/PA program. I think that is a big issue they should have covered. I felt so bad for this one lady they interviewed; she could hardly keep from crying.

luvin it · Oct 31, 2004

OMG I know that it is after the fact, I had no idea that it effected people who didn't work there. I am the nurse that first called the FW star telegram. There were BIG indicators that the end was close and NOBODY was telling us anything. Within 4 hrs of calling the paper, we even had TV reporting from OMCT and that was when the employees FIRST were told. I was also one of the last nurses discharging and transferring pts.

To tell you the truth, parts of it were so unsafe. At one point the only staff on the cardaic stepdown unit were myself and a resp ther. we looked at one another and wondered if there was even still a code team w/i the hospital. ( the first unit closed was ED. Residents and Interns were no longer on premises) That was that last shift I worked.

We had lost health benefits 6 weeks prior, w/o any previous notification. PTO was out the window. Our retirment was spared. I was due the 3rd installment of a bonus and that of course was gone.

I loved the facility, staff and students. However managment of pt's admission and care were really over the top in comparison to other hospitals. I came from an affluent area and was surprised to know that less that 10% of admissions had any insurance. Bad news when were already struggling.

Thanks everyone for your concern.