PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) — The state has approved an application to close Memorial Hospital’s emergency department.
The Department of Health said Thursday it approved Care New England’s application.
The department says Memorial Hospital will no longer function as a hospital, though the application for it to cease providing primary care services in Pawtucket is still pending.
Care New England took over the struggling hospital in 2013.
The state set conditions to address nearby residents’ concerns about the closure.
Among the requirements, Care New England must open a walk-in clinic in Pawtucket and provide $300,000 to Pawtucket and $200,000 to Central Falls for two years to offset the cost of transporting patients to other hospitals.
The decision takes effect Monday.
The department says there are seven acute care hospitals within 10 miles of Memorial Hospital.
