SUNBURY--The emergency room sign is covered up and the parking lot is empty at UPMC Susquehanna Sunbury. The ER closed for good at midnight.
"It`s not a good thing, not for the area," Kay Major said.
Late last year UPMC Susquehanna Sunbury announced it was closing at the end of march. The closure leaves Sunbury without a hospital for the first time in nearly 125 years.
"I really think it`s a bad idea. I have a lot of people who I see that need to go local for an emergency, not ride all around out of town looking for emergency treatment," Carol Portzline said.
"I just feel for the people who need a job. I feel sorry for them," Ina Vankirk said.
The closest hospitals to Sunbury are Evangelical Community Hospital near Lewisburg and Geisinger Medical Center near Danville.
"If you`re like me who doesn`t own a vehicle, what do you do," Frankie Charriez said.
Frankie Charriez is one of many people concerned about not having an emergency room in Sunbury.
"To have to travel 20-30 minutes to get to a hospital. If you have 10-15 minutes, you`re not making it," Charriez said.
"I don`t think it`s fair because some people don`t have a car to get to Geisinger or Evan. It`s really sad," Denise Easton said.
In addition to the emergency room, inpatient and outpatient services also closed at midnight.
Outpatient services including laboratory, imaging and occupational health will continue until March 31st when the hospital closes.