Although UPMC insists that the deal has been sealed on the Jan. 31 closure of UPMC Braddock, residents, activists and public officials are still trying to sway the medical giant.

On Oct. 16, the hospital system announced that it would close Braddock hospital at the end of January, which upset Mon Valley residents and public officials.

UPMC Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey A. Romoff stood fast in his company's decision, even after meeting with U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and Braddock Mayor John Fetterman.

Mr. Fetterman said that keeping the hospital open has always been his first priority, although he also emphasized the importance of developing "contingency plans and disaster management" in the event that it does close.

"Everyone's first priority is to keep the hospital open," he said. "Any conversation otherwise is what we do when UPMC does pull the plug and what we do moving forward."

At a Monday news conference, Mr. Onorato said he would do everything he could to change UPMC's mind.

Still, he acknowledged that he did not want to damage the relationship between UPMC and the county.

"We need them [in Braddock] now more than ever," he said. "I'm going to do everything in my power to keep a presence there, to keep that hospital open."

Last night, Mr. Onorato had a public hearing so that residents could voice their frustration and brainstorm ways to keep the facility open.

Mr. Onorato rejected UPMC's offer to turn over the building to Braddock or to the county.

"We don't want it," he said Monday. "This isn't about ownership. This is about a hospital we didn't want closed."

Other public officials and Mon Valley residents are gearing up for a drawn-out fight, starting with a rally at 2 p.m. today at the hospital.

Council President Jesse Brown said the rally alone probably would not sway the hospital to keep its doors open. But he thought it was important for residents to vent their frustration and to convey to UPMC the impact of the closure.

At a planning meeting last Thursday for the rally, Mr. Brown also said he was looking into taking legal action against UPMC, though he would not go into details.

"The general [objective] of the rally is to let UPMC know that we're not going to roll over and play dead and to give them a little bit of negative press," he said. "I don't think it's going to change their mind."

Mr. Brown said he was resigned to the fact that the hospital would close after the UPMC announcement.

But that was before he said he received new information that made him believe the borough could take legal action.

"There's been some issues that have been brought to my attention that may have a direct bearing on not letting them close like they want to," Mr. Brown said Tuesday in an interview.

Borough Solicitor Larry Shields last month shot down a resident's suggestion that the borough get a court injunction to prevent the hospital's closure, saying it would be costly and ineffective.

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