Coalition formed to stop Huron Hospital closing

CLEVELAND - UPDATE: City leaders from Cleveland and East Cleveland announced during a 10 a.m. press conference that they are forming a coalition to oppose the decision to close the Huron Hospital trauma center.

Officials argued that sending trauma victims to Hillcrest Hospital instead of Huron would add 16 minutes in an emergency situation, which is a matter of life and death.

An increasing front against the closing of the trauma center at Huron Hospital will be visible Tuesday, as officials from East Cleveland and Cleveland will hold a joint media conference to show their opposition to Huron Hospital's trauma center closing.

The media conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. in front of Huron Hospital.

The Cleveland Clinic announced it will be closing the Huron Trauma Center and diverting all trauma care to Hillcrest Hospital--a move that concerns people around Huron who depend on that care.

They cite numbers showing that the increased drive distance and to trauma facilities will increase drastically when Huron's trauma center closes.

NewsChannel5 will be at Tuesday's media conference to bring you the latest.