MARTINS FERRY, Ohio – Local hospital workers are hoping that Tuesday is payday after their employer did not deposit their paychecks, which were due Friday.
Employees at East Ohio Regional Hospital provided River News Network with an email reportedly from hospital owner and CEO Dr. John Johnson dated Friday, March 7 explaining that workers would not be paid that day.
The email states that workers will be paid on or before Tuesday: “After exhausting all possibilities for immediate release of funding today, we are working hard to enable a disbursement to take place on or before 3/11/25.”
A former patient told River News Network that staff told them that paychecks were sometimes delayed since they were allegedly transferred from the Middle East. Staff also told the patient that EORH was a good place to work.
Friday’s email explains that EORH has “walked through fires and storms of tribulation hand in hand with many of you over the past four years.”
Keeping the hospital open remains paramount to the Martins Ferry community and the entire Ohio Valley. The email states hospital officials appear to be working on keeping EORH open. “EORH continues to experience these obstacles and challenges as continued navigation through the next steps to keeping the doors of the facility open.”
In 2019, EORH and Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling were closed by owner Alecto Healthcare Services. The closures caused the loss of approximately 1,200 jobs. Johnson reopened EORH in February 2021.
EORH has faced a flurry of financial issues so far in 2025 including the announced closure of its long-term care unit, alleged lapses in health insurance for workers and negotiating a deal to repay over $1.2 million in delinquent property taxes to Belmont County.
