Specter and
Rendell came to ceremony
Gov. Edward Rendell, Sen. Arlen Spector, and other political leaders were
at hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 21, which marked the opening
of Woman's Medical Hospital (WMH), the medical facility once known as MCP
Hospital.
"This is a great day for this community, for this city, and for this state,"
Spector said. Over 100 physicians, staff, and supporters also attended the
event, and red ribbon hung not only across the stage area, but also around
the entire perimeter of the 12-acre site.
Dr. Nancy Pickering, a cardiologist at the former MCP Hospital who led the
efforts to save the hospital, said, "Our beloved hospital has continued to
remain open...in order to continue our mission, as well as to honor our heritage
of being the first institution in the United States that allowed women from
both this country as well as around the world to train and graduate.
"We have taken back our name," she said. "We will henceforth be called Woman's
Medical Hospital."
The opening comes after Pickering recruited a coalition of physicians, staff,
lawyers, politicians, and community leaders who fought to keep the medical
facility in East Falls from closing when Tenet Healthcare Corp. announced
plans to shut MCP in Dec. 2003.
At one point, Pickering went door-to-door to ask for the support of the community.
Her efforts brought her to the doorsteps East Falls residents, Rendell and
Spector.
"When Dr. Nancy Pickering came to my house in East Falls on one Saturday morning,
I thought it was somebody to collect for paper delivery," Spector said. "She
rang the doorbell, and I answered and listened to what she had to say, and
I was very impressed by it."
In May, Rendell and Spector provided critical support when they endorsed the
plan Pickering and others - the "doctor's group" - had developed. The parties
worked together, negotiating with Tenet to arrange for the sale of the hospital
facility and the 12-acre site on which it stands for $1. The transaction was
made on Sept. 1, with the establishment of new state-affiliated nonprofit
organization, WMCH Inc.
But as plans to save the hospital were being made, Tenet removed several expensive
pieces of hospital equipment over the past few months, including a robot used
to perform intricate surgical procedures, and television and video camera
equipment from at least one operating room. The transition also caused the
facility to lose its Level I trauma facility, at least for the time being.
Gov. Rendell recognized the risks many physicians took when deciding to stay
aboard while Pickering and others worked to save the hospital and
"It would have been very easy - and you know because some of your colleagues
did it - when trouble was apparent and this looked like it was going under,
for all of you to cut and run," Rendell said. "But you believed in the mission
of this great hospital and...you hung in there, and your resoluteness was
what made it possible."
Rendell echoed statements he made when the transaction took place, praising
the team effort that led to the accomplishment, but warning that the non-profit
institution still has many hurdles to clear.
"A lot of struggles and a lot of our challenges and battles lie ahead," he
said. "The efforts of all of us combined have given us the restoration of
a pretty great hospital, if we can keep it. We all have to dedicate ourselves
to do everything in our power to make sure that this hospital grows and this
facility grows to have resources that serve people from all over Philadelphia."
One person who was somewhat overlooked in resuscitation of the hospital was
publicly recognized at last Thursday's ribbon cutting ceremony - Ralph Winder,
the 38th Ward Leader. Rendell said Winder could serve as an example of what
a good ward leader should be, recognizing Winder's commitment as effective
link between our community and Harrisburg.
Winder addressed the crowd, emphasizing the hard work done by all the parties
involved. "None of us could have done this without all of us," he said. "We
turned a nightmare into a dream...We must not ever forget the little people
in the community and the people who walk the halls of this hospital who ignited
and maintained this struggle."
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