A three-bed health facility that controversially carried the name, Homer G. Phillips Hospital, has officially been pronounced dead by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).
The facility board, which includes developer Paul McKee who stubbornly refused to drop the Homer G. Phillips name from the doomed hospital’s wall, surrendered its license, DHSS reported on Tuesday.
Homer G. Phillips Nurses Alumni, Inc., received information that the north St. Louis facility has been permanently closed, and its 80 employees terminated.
While the embattled facility is now closed, the copyright infringement case against McKee and the board on use of the Homer G. Phillips name continues, according to Jackson.
“It saddens our heart that our legacy has been damaged, yet we are empathetic towards the employees that have lost their jobs,” Lois Collier Jackson, Nurses Alumni president, said in a statement to The American.
“The northside area definitely needs a medical facility, the name just needs to be changed.”
After the hospital was shut down in December, and employees left without earned wages, there were promises from the board that the facility would reopen.
Talisa Smittie, a terminated employee, learned late last month his job was gone.
He and other employees received a letter from the board stating, “Your position is permanently eliminated,” as of February 28.
“I was blown away,” Smittie told KSDK.
“All I did was look for something temporary because I had planned on it being my last stop. We were also told that even though they got 90 days’ permission to be closed down, that it wouldn’t take 90 days. That we will be reopened before the 90-day mark.”
In a statement following the facility’s closing, Dr. Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, MD, MPH, FIDSA, St. Louis director of health, said, “For decades, the original Homer G. Phillips Hospital was a beacon of health equity, training, and excellence in serving marginalized communities during a time when segregation limited access to quality care.”
“It is a name that symbolizes advocacy for justice and equity in healthcare. That legacy makes [these] developments even more devastating, as they represent yet another missed opportunity to honor the name with the respect it deserves.”
Upon the facility’s shutdown, SLATE began collaborating with employees to secure new employment and the assistance opportunity remains, according to Director Fredrecka McGlown.
“Anyone who has been impacted by this closure, please contact SLATE immediately to be provided with employment assistance. We remain committed to connecting our community to opportunities so we can build a stronger St. Louis City.”
Terminated workers can visit SLATE’s website at www.stlouis-mo.gov/slate/ or call (314) 589-8000.
While the embattled facility is now closed, the copyright infringement case against McKee and the board on use of the Homer G. Phillips name continues, according to Jackson.
“Discussion with our attorney advises that the closing of the hospital does not affect our copyright infringement lawsuit,” she said.
“We are still waiting on McKee’s group to file their response to our appeal. We did request oral argument.”
An oral argument in the appeal case has been set for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 13, at the Old Post Office, One Post Office Square, 815 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO. 63101. The hearing will be on the third floor.
“We plan on packing the court room and having supporters outside the building with signage,” said Jackson.
The Nurses Alumni are accepting financial assistance for attorney fees, which can be sent to Homer G. Phillips Nurses Alumni, Inc, P.O. Box 211452 St. Louis, Mo. 63121
So now the residents lost a medical facility? There has to be more to this story? Right?
All he had to do is rename the facility.