April 8, 2025
Dear Senators Husted and Moreno,
The Ohio Nurses Association writes on behalf of nurses, health professionals, and the communities and patients we serve across Ohio, especially those in the Mahoning Valley who are now reeling from the abrupt shutdown of Insight Health Group’s operations, including the sudden closure of Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Warren.
This is not simply a failed business venture. It is a calculated act of abandonment by corporate executives who extracted resources from a vulnerable healthcare system and walked away, leaving patients without care, workers without jobs or benefits, and an entire community in turmoil.
Nurses and health professionals continued to show up every day to care for their patients—even when their paychecks were delayed and their health benefits stripped away without warning. While caregivers upheld their responsibility to serve, Insight’s leadership failed theirs in every possible way.
Let us be perfectly clear: it is not the vulnerable patients who rely on Medicare and Medicaid who are draining our public resources, it is the corporate architects of exploitative systems who do. Executives like those at Insight who manipulate, monetize, and ultimately abandon hospitals are the ones siphoning funds meant for care and rerouting them into profit. This is not an isolated incident; it’s a systemic failure that demands urgent intervention.
Insight’s vague WARN notice claimed this was a temporary “diversion” with a possible reopening in six months, but their CEO told staff during a townhall style meeting the reality is likely nine months or more—if ever. This is a clear evasion of responsibility under the WARN Act, and if Insight has no intention of reopening, they must be honest about it now. Anything less is a continued betrayal of the healthcare professionals and patients they’ve already harmed.
This is the second major healthcare failure in the region in recent memory, following the mismanagement by Steward Health Care. Our communities cannot withstand more corporate raiding and closures with no accountability. We are calling on you to take decisive action to prevent this pattern from continuing unchecked.
We urgently request your support for the following actions:
- Immediate payment of all wages owed to affected healthcare workers.
- Restoration of health benefits to ensure no worker is left without essential coverage.
- Stronger state and federal regulations to prevent unqualified or exploitative entities from acquiring and mismanaging critical healthcare facilities.
- A full investigation into Insight’s actions, including their use of public funds and failure to comply with the WARN Act.
- A formal inquiry by the U.S. Department of Justice into whether Insight Health engaged in fraud or abuse of Medicare and Medicaid resources.
Senators, we have been sounding the alarm. What has happened in Warren must be a turning point, not just another footnote in a growing crisis. The time for silence is over. Your leadership and prompt action are crucial in safeguarding the well-being of our community and ensuring that such neglect does not recur. We trust you will stand with us in demanding accountability and justice for the Mahoning Valley.
Please provide your availability for a virtual or in-district meeting as soon as possible. We are ready to work with you to demand accountability and fight for the future of healthcare in our communities.
Thank you in advance for your time and attention,
Rick Lucas BSN, RN, CCRN
ONA President & Executive Director