Crawley Memorial Hospital has a long history of service to the Boiling Springs community and Cleveland County. It was established in 1949 as Royster Memorial Hospital, a partnership between Boiling Springs and Gardner-Webb College. The institution was named in recognition of the financial support it received from John P. Crawley. In 1977, a new building was opened at the current location.

Over the ensuing years, as the payment structure for healthcare changed, the hospital saw its daily census decline into the teens. In 1984, John Washburn, the hospital administrator, applied for and received permission to also use Crawley’s acute care beds as skilled nursing care beds. Even so, within three years, the acute care patient volume had declined and Medicare rules for acute care hospitals had changed. The organization was struggling to sustain systems and equipment.

Consequently, Crawley Memorial Hospital’s Board of Directors asked for assistance from Cleveland Regional Medical Center to sustain Crawley as an acute care facility. The number of acute care patients had declined and the reimbursement from having only long term patients was not enough to meet the facility needs. CCHS has advanced more than $7 million to assist Crawley in remaining open and viable. Realizing they must stop losses that have now exceeded over $1 million annually, leadership and governance developed a strategic plan with two options: close Crawley or look for ways to live the original mission as a hospital.

Now, to the good news! Through the determined work of several very dedicated people within CCHS, the Community Advisory Council, and Board of Directors, a Certificate of Need was awarded from the Department of Health and Human Services, giving Crawley the designation of a Long Term Acute Care (LTAC) hospital. “This approval is rare in the state of North Carolina, and Cleveland County HealthCare System is very fortunate to have this new level of care in our region” says Dotty Leatherwood, VP. To qualify for this level of care, LTAC patients must be able to rehabilitate and recover so they may return home or find placement in a rehabilitation, assisted living or nursing home facility. The next closest LTAC is located at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte. “What a great accomplishment for Crawley Memorial Hospital!” says Mac Lancaster, Chair of Crawley’s Board of Directors. This conversion will allow Crawley to remain viable as a hospital, ultimately add as many as 40 additional healthcare employees and stabilize the financial status of Crawley, allowing for the first repayment of debt to CCHS. Most importantly, Crawley will now have the opportunity to provide this new level of care for local citizens who have not previously had that option.

“Crawley remains an important part of Cleveland County HealthCare System. There have been questions about a sale of Crawley to a for-profit company. We have definitely not sold Crawley and we are very optimistic about its future” says Brian Gwyn, President and CEO of CCHS. “We will be contracting for management services with the same experts that run the LTAC at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte (Carolinas Specialty Hospital). The management contract will allow us to add expertise to our transition and will provide Crawley with day to day operational management, policies and procedures individualized to LTAC services and preparation for the ultimate goal of Joint Commission accreditation” Gwyn continued.

“While these operational issues are important, our primary focus is the care of our residents” says Jeff Barber, Administrator of Crawley. The transition to the new LTAC hospital status will be ongoing from May to December. We have the time to work with each family member with any changes necessary. Crawley staff will be meeting with families on a weekly basis to assist with decision making and identify locations that can meet their long term care needs” Barber continued. “We have a highly respected long term care facility in CCHS, Cleveland Pines Nursing Center, and we are working with families to determine if this is a desired or appropriate location. The staff will be assisting with any necessary paperwork and medical information to coordinate a smooth transition. There are also many other very fine organizations within our community” says Leatherwood.

Gwyn states “I am confident that under the LTAC status, Crawley will thrive in this changing healthcare environment, we will be able to now provide a full continuum of care, and sustain Crawley Memorial Hospital as part of our healthcare community.”

Contact Information:
Dotty Leatherwood, VP
980-487-3028