When the Pennsylvania budget is finally finished, could the Allentown State Hospital be left out in the cold? Some lawmakers are worried funding cuts could be detrimental. WFMZ's Bo Koltnow reports.


  >>REPORTER: The governor's office says this is being considered. But some local legislators are looking for some straight answers. Could the budget battle in Harrisburg have the Allentown State Hospital in its sights? State Representative Doug Reichley thinks so.

>> DOUG: Unfortunately, not getting a straight answer from administration.

>>REPORTER: Reichley says he heard rumblings in September the state wanted to close the 97-year-old facility. The Department of Welfare dodged the question to him in a recent letter he says he sent to the state.

>> REICHLEY: Unfortunately, I think the odds are good that the administration is going to proceed with the closure.

>> PAWLOWSKI: This really caught us out of the blue. It wasn't communicated to us in any way, shape, or form this was even on the table.

>> REPORTER: Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski says he's been on the phone with state legislators and the governor's office all morning trying to figure out what's going on.

>> PAWLOWSKI: I'm concerned about the families especially those of patients who will have to drive longer distance to get service. I'm concerned about patients themselves and loss of jobs.

>> ;REPORTER: If the hospital is shut down, Reichley says at least 100 employees would be directly affected. Patients could be moved to facilities in Lackawanna or Berks counties, which in today's economy, hits those associated with the facility even harder.

>> REICHELY: Look at out of pocket expenses when going to a new location for care providers and relatives especially if it's an inpatient setting.

>> The governor's office told us no final decision been. If the hospital is slated for the budget chopping block then a public hearing is required within 30 days of that announcement, which will include a transitional care plan for patients and employees.

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