Capital Health has closed its East Trenton Satellite Emergency Department and outpatient clinic after engineers identified serious structural risks at the site it leases from Trinity Health on the former St. Francis Medical Center campus.
The emergency shutdown was announced Tuesday and took effect early Wednesday morning. Officials said the safety of the Hamilton Avenue facility had been compromised by structural problems in an adjacent building, prompting immediate evacuation and service diversion.
“We are deeply frustrated and disappointed by the circumstances that have led to the emergency closure,” said Capital Health President and CEO Al Maghazehe. “With the former St. Francis location no longer safe for us to occupy, we will be working to identify the best path forward to ensure Trentonians … have continued access to the care they need.”
As of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, the outpatient clinic stopped seeing patients. The emergency department closed to incoming patients at 7 a.m. Wednesday, June 5.
In response to a request for more information about impacts to nearby facilities, Capital Health said it expects patients to be absorbed across three area emergency departments: its Brunswick Avenue campus in Trenton, Capital Health Medical Center–Hopewell located in Hopewell Twp., and RWJBarnabas Health’s Hamilton hospital. All are within roughly two to eight miles of the East Trenton site.
“We don’t anticipate any other impacts to the Hopewell campus,” the hospital said in a statement.
Still, local lawmakers expressed alarm at the implications of the abrupt shutdown.
“The closure … is nothing short of devastating for the local community, the City of Trenton, and the Greater Trenton area as a whole,” said Sen. Shirley Turner, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli in a joint statement Wednesday. “The effects will be felt regionwide as vital medical care is diverted to other facilities.”
The 15th Legislative District delegation said it had been briefed by the New Jersey Department of Health and is seeking additional information from Capital Health, Trinity Health, and state officials. The lawmakers called for “clear and timely communication” about how residents will continue receiving care and emphasized the need to prioritize transportation and access.
Capital Health has directed patients who previously used the outpatient clinic to its East Trenton Clinic at 433 Bellevue Avenue and its walk-in clinic at 832 Brunswick Avenue. For assistance, patients can call 609-815-7296.
Emergency medical services have been asked to reroute ambulance transports to alternative hospitals. Residents experiencing medical emergencies are being advised to call 911 rather than visit the Hamilton Avenue location, which is now closed indefinitely.
No timeline has been announced for reopening or relocating services formerly housed at the site.
