Residents and hospital workers urge Bradford council to block inpatient and ER closures

Residents and employees told the Bradford City Council on Monday that closing inpatient services and the emergency room at Bradford Regional Medical Center would endanger lives, cost hundreds of jobs and strain emergency responders.

"In just a few months, Bradenton Medical Center is scheduled to close its inpatient services and its emergency room," said an unnamed resident during the public-comment period, adding that the closure would create a "3 mile out desert" and lengthen transport times that could cost lives. The speaker asked the city solicitor to seek a preliminary injunction in King County court to stop the closures.

Kelly Tinku, who identified herself as facilities coordinator at Bradford Regional Medical Center, told the council she had "just got my termination letter" and said roughly 238 employees face job loss. "It's a death sentence for our community," she said, describing frequent emergency-department visits by family members and warning that losing local services would affect vulnerable residents.

City officials acknowledged the concern. Mayor (Speaker 1) said officials had been "in contact with people in the know" and expressed confidence a "positive announcement" about the hospital or emergency department could come in the next few days or by the end of next week. He also told the council that, while eminent domain was an extreme option, it remained on the table as a last resort to keep a hospital in town.

Officials and residents raised operational impacts if the ER closes. Speakers described average ambulance call times of about 45 minutes and warned that longer transports would increase overtime, strain personnel and apparatus and could raise mortality risk. A representative for emergency services said funding and reimbursement implications would need further study; staff said those revenue and cost changes are difficult to predict without more data.

The council did not announce a formal legal filing during the meeting. Public commenters urged immediate steps, including asking the city solicitor to pursue injunctive relief, and asked the council to press state and federal representatives to intervene. Mayor (Speaker 1) repeated that a near-term announcement was expected and thanked residents and staff for raising the concerns.

Next steps: councilors said they would continue follow-up with hospital leadership, the city solicitor and state officials; no vote on legal action was recorded during the meeting.