With the closure of the emergency department at the St. Joseph's Campus of the Camden Clark Medical Center, officials at the new consolidated emergency department at Memorial Campus are ready to take on the emergency needs of the community.

Operations officially ended for the St. Joseph's emergency room at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

A group featuring a number of former employees gathered for a brief candlelight vigil in the hospital's courtyard as the closing went into effect Tuesday evening. Sister June Souder, pastoral care practice manager, said the gathering was a private affair among some of the department's former employees.

Many of the people who had worked for years in the St. Joseph's emergency department wanted to work the final shift Tuesday, said Susan Abdella, the emergency department director for CCMC.

"Many of them wanted to spend the last moments there," Abdella said.

The closure of the St. Joseph's emergency department is part of efforts to consolidate the two facilities that make up the Camden Clark Medical Center. Plans call for the St. Joseph's Campus to be closed down by the end of November. The professional building at the St. Joseph's site remains open and occupied.

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