Note: This story was originally published before the vote by the Massillon City Council on the Affinity Hospital agreement. It was subesquently updated to include the outcome of that vote.
Massillon City Council met in special session Thursday night to approve a settlement in the dispute over Affinity Medical Center’s closing. By unanimous vote, it said yes to the deal.
Lee Plakas is one of the attorneys representing Massillon in its effort to keep the city’s only hospital from shutting down for good this week.
He says Affinity’s owners have agreed to turn the hospital and related properties and equipment over to the city for $1.
From there, “options include having a municipally owned hospital. Another option would be a hospital owned by the employees. And now, with over $25 million in assets for only $1, this is an attractive opportunity with a joint venture with another hospital system. So that’s an option.”
Plakas says while the city figures out its best option, Affinity will stop taking new patients immediately, and transition existing patients elsewhere by Feb. 11th.i
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