Trumbull’s Mental Health Crisis Deepens After Hospital Shutdown | Image Source: www.tribtoday.com
WARREN, Ohio, March 28, 2025 – In a community already spread by mental health resources, the sudden closure of Trumbull and Hillside facilities at Insight Hospital and the medical centre caused a growing crisis. The loss of 35 psychiatric beds – almost a third of the region’s mental health capacity – left patients and professionals agitated by solutions. The closure, due to the failure and financial failure of Steward’s health care, not only reduced access to essential services, but also increased the lives of hundreds of vulnerable employees and patients.
According to April Caraway, Executive Director of the Trumbull County Mental Health and Rehabilitation Board, the Insight Psychiatric Unit was emptied within 48 hours before this week. Caraway described a series of discouraging events: “On Monday, Tuesday, they started to get rid of people. They moved from 17 patients on Monday to none yesterday.” With the closure of Insight, patients formerly dependent on close care should now be redirected to overcrowded hospitals in Youngstown or – when these facilities are full – to Akron, Canton or Cleveland.
“They’re an hour and a half away from their loved ones,” says Caraway. “The relatives may not have a trip to get there. How do I get the patient home? How can they work with them if they do not have a home to safely return to the community? This question reflects not only logistical concerns, but a deeper and more painful truth: the erosion of local and human care for some of the most fragile individuals in the county.
Why did Insight hit so fast?
The closure of the hospital was not a slow gap - it was an almost intrinsic breakdown. On 28 March, at 3 p.m., all outpatient and emergency operations were stopped, leaving patients, employees and the general public in a state of confusion and alarm. In a press release, Insight cited ”additional sudden events” related to Steward Health Care’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings and a “increase in the lack of funds transferred” as reasons for the closure.
It’s not just a financial shock, it’s a collapse of the whole system. That’s right. Connelly, president of the nursing union, expressed great frustration at the lack of transparency and leadership. “I didn’t write anything to say what they’re going to do,” says Connelly. “I’m upset by both but especially now it’s Insight.”
Many employees were instructed to continue reporting to work — but with no patients, no paychecks, and no clarity.
Margaret Hall, a 28-year-old Insight Trumbull veteran, summarized the feeling that many health care workers feel today: devastated. “I never thought that would happen,” he said. I thought we were up. When it happened, what happened? It’s devastating. “
How does the Community deal with falls?
The emotional balance goes beyond the staff of Insight. For patients like Pat Wilson, 77, closing is not just a nuisance, it is a threat to his health. After administering a persistent abscess for months with wound care in Insight, he received two calls: a cancellation of his appointment, and another redirect him to another hospital. “People at the centre of the wound are excellent,” Wilson told the Chronicle Tribune. “It’s a great disappointment if they won’t be here.”
However, it is not as easy to change direction for other hospitals. Mercy Health, the region’s leading provider, has only 36 psychiatric beds and serves three counties: Columbian, Mahoning and Trumbull. Although a 72-bed behavioural hospital is planned to be opened later this year, demand far exceeds supply. “Until Trumbull can be reopened under whoever he is, we’ll be in a trap here,” said Caraway.
What about the workers?
The work crisis is incredible. Nearly 150 members of the International Union of Service Employees (IUSU) 1199 were affected: a workforce including respiratory therapists, laboratory technicians, radiologists, dietitians, social workers and more. According to the SEIU’s statement, “these workers have already undergone months of tumultuous change” and are now uncertain whether they will receive another wage or are eligible for unemployment.
The union stressed the emotional tension: “I had workers coming in my tears. Some of them are quite upset, quite angry, just because of the lack of information,” said Chrissy Lewis, who represents pharmacy, rehabilitation and image staff. ”He wasn’t very coordinated.”
Staff were told to cancel outpatient treatments without any formal guidance. One moment, it was a furlough. The next, a layoff. As of now, the official classification remains unclear.
Is there a reopening project?
Although Insight interrupted its operations, he insisted that it should not be a permanent closure. A transition plan is being implemented to restore services independently of Steward, with the founder of Dr. Jawad Shah, Insight, as president of Trumbull and Hillside hospitals. This movement replaces Dr. Gary Goncz, who had just taken over Cindy Russo.
However, confidence in leadership is weak. “We hope to overcome this,” said Lewis, echoing a sense shared by staff and patients. The hope of the community is now whether the not-for-profit model of Insight, if fully implemented, can reactivate not only operations, but also confidence in the delivery of care.
What resources are available now?
In the absence of close services, support is being restructured. Those who are not in immediate crisis can call 211 to be connected to available mental health care providers. For emergency mental health problems or suicidal thoughts, the 988 suicide and lifeline crisis remains available 24 / 7.
In an offer to help affected workers, OhioMeansJobs Trumbull County will host a quick response event on Friday, April 4. The event will take place at Kent State Trumbull campus with several slots by surname. This initiative provides advice on unemployment, rewriting and placement assistance. For more information, individuals can call 330-675-2179.
Meanwhile, patients wishing to access their medical records can contact Insight’s medical records department by telephone at (810) 895-4039 or by email at insightmedicalrecords @ iinn.com.
What does this mean for the future of mental health care in Trumbull County?
This crisis is more than a momentary period – it is an objective of systemic fragility. Trumbull County’s mental health infrastructure was already on rough terrain. Now, with a vacuum where one of its main suppliers was, the situation requires urgent intervention at the state level and sustainable financing models.
Mayor Doug Franklin expressed his disappointment and urgency: “I am disappointed and frustrated by the turn of events. I’m worried about the workers who have spent years or even decades keeping our community healthy
This event could serve as a wake-up event, not only for Trumbull County, but also for communities of similar size across the United States that rely largely on a single health care system for behavioural services. When this system fails, wave effects are not only administrative; They are deeply personal.
Until Insight reopens – and it is still unclear when or if this will happen – community leaders trust patch solutions. Hospitals take more than their share. Local agencies work overtime. What about the patients? They wait, travel, wait, sometimes in silence. For many, this silence is the most dangerous symptom of all.
Final take: It’s not just a health story. It is a story of community, of human resilience and the consequences of bad business management. In his heart are the life – and mental health – of those who cannot wait for the bureaucracy to catch up.
