Erie Shrine Hospital to stay - OPEN

Delegates at the Shriners International Convention in San Antonio voted Monday to keep all 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children open. The vote is not considered final until the annual meeting ends Thursday.

Six of the hospitals, including the Erie facility, had been targeted for closure as part of a major restructuring of the nonprofit system of 22 hospitals.

Shriners International officials will not discuss the vote until Thursday.

Delegates will now consider proposals to save the hospital system without closing facilities. Those include cutting hospital budgets by 20 percent or more, and starting to charge patients' health insurance for treatment.

Shriners hospitals currently provide orthopedic and burn care at no cost to patients.

More here.