U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle said the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is solid in its decision to close Braddock Hospital, but it assured him that most of the 652 employees will find jobs at other UPMC facilities.

Mr. Doyle, D-Pittsburgh, and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato met this morning with UPMC President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey A. Romoff for an extended meeting, with Mr. Onorato and Mr. Doyle, among others, determined to force UPMC to change its mind and keep the hospital open.

"We all realize that Braddock Hospital doesn't make money, but UPMC is a nonprofit with a community mission to realize the benefits it receives for being a nonprofit," Mr. Doyle said. "For an hour and a half we were looking for ways to turn it around and keep Braddock Hospital open. But the last half hour, when we realized they were pretty entrenched in their decision, we wanted to make sure they had a commitment that all employees would be offered jobs in the system."

Mr. Doyle also said they received a commitment from UPMC to cooperate in finding an alternative use for the building and to beef up outpatient services and help bolster other health services in Braddock.

"It was a disappointing meeting, and we didn't get what we were looking for," Mr. Doyle said, noting that a large part of Braddock's population faces challenges in traveling elsewhere for medical services. "It was a very emotional meeting at times, and we expressed a strong desire to hang onto the hospital in this unique area of Braddock.

"UPMC still is a company that has a mission that needs to be honored," Mr. Doyle said.

Paul Wood, UPMC vice president of public relations, said the "very productive meeting" involved going over the data behind the decision, including the fact the patient population in the hospital over the weekend was 31 -- half the average population documented by the end of June.

For that reason, Mr. Wood said, the decision to close Braddock Hospital is irreversible: "The argument for closing it is pretty clear cut," he said.

He said UPMC has openings available for most of the Braddock employees to be reassigned within the system.

UPMC also will make space available at the hospital for a community meeting this week between UPMC officials, citizens and political leaders to discuss the closing.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.