Nearly a month after the goal of reopening passed, the doors remain locked at Sharon Regional Medical Center.

Tenor Health Partners, the new operators of the hospital, cannot reopen the hospital until they get approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

While those at the hospital and in the community are optimistic about reopening soon, there is still no set date.

“It’s discouraging when it feels like the finish line is always moving. When you think you're there and it doesn’t happen. So I think we try to, we limit our expectations now,” said Robert Fiscus, city manager of Sharon.

The closure of Sharon Regional continues to weigh on the community.

Multiple employees told 21 News they got a message saying the hospital was expected to reopen Monday. That date has since passed with no update.

Fiscus said the closure is leaving a healthcare gap in the community.

“I’ve heard stories, first hand stories of people waiting 15 hours in an emergency room, or you know ambulance crews taking a patient and being told that you have to keep that patient in your ambulance for the next 4 hours. I’ve seen the shortage of EMS units that it’s caused and the lag time of responding to other emergencies,” said Fiscus.

So when can we expect the hospital doors to reopen? Radha Savitala, Tenor Health Partners CEO, said there is no official update, but she feels they are very close.

21 News was sent the following statement from Mark O’Neill, PA Department of Health press secretary:

“The Department of Health’s top priority will always be patient safety and we will continue to hold health care providers to high standards to ensure Pennsylvanians are safe. Tenor Health is seeking to re-open under Steward Health’s license and is also pursuing a change in ownership to transfer licensure at a later date.

“While we continue to closely engage with Tenor Health regarding its reopening efforts and to address deficiencies, specific details of deficiencies remain confidential at this stage as part of standard due process. We are unable to comment on or confirm any further details or timelines.”

Fiscus spoke to Tenor Health and was told they believe all guidelines to reopen were met, but was not given an opening date.

“I’ve spoke to the administration for Tenor Health. And, you know, they don’t have a precise timeline yet. They’re not ready to see you know, whether it’s going to be days, but what they said, they’re very close. I know they’ve been working really hard, and it's been all hands on deck with the Department of Health,” said Fiscus.

Fiscus feels the process is taking longer because the hospital was closed.

“I think some of our fears came true. We knew once it closed, it was going to be harder to open it back up, which is what we saw with the department of health. Think that their level of scrutiny had to be at a different level and much more stringent because we are reopening the hospital instead of keeping one open,” said Fiscus.

During this time of uncertainty, Pennsylvania State Senator Michele Brooks announced plans to introduce legislation that would create an independent dispute resolution process for contested hospital inspection findings. 

21 News reached out to Brooks to ask about the plans, but did not hear back.