Carney Hospital in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, Massachusetts officially closed their doors at 7 a.m. on Saturday, a decision made after the state did not receive any qualified bids for the Steward Health Care hospitals.The closure comes despite multiple protests and pleas from doctors, nurses, patients, state and local government officials to find a way to keep the facilities open.Emotions ran high as staff gathered outside Carney Hospital after the facility abruptly locked its doors. Many employees, some of whom have spent their entire careers serving the Dorchester community, expressed frustration and anger at how Steward Health Care handled the closure.Signs were posted on the front door of the hospital announcing the closure, and exterior hospital signage was covered up. Signs announcing the closure posted at Carney Hospital directed patients to Milton Hospital, located a few miles away.Any patients still in the emergency departments will continue to receive appropriate care until they can be discharged or transferred. Now that the doors have been locked, the buildings no longer function as hospitals, leaving no clinical personnel on-site to assist in emergencies.The state will have ambulances on standby outside both Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer and Carney Hospital in Dorchester for a week and is in talks to repurpose the Ayer hospital in some way, the governor's office said Friday.The hospital closures leaves approximately 1,200 people out of work and further limit health care options for residents in Dorchester and the Nashoba Valley region. "We’ve been here, myself and Barbara, since the beginning," said Karl Odom, a longtime Carney Hospital employee. "There are people who’ve been here for 50 years. I’ve been here for 46. We have people who’ve been here for 51 years."An independent overseer warned this week that the "toxic combination" of longer emergency response and transport times and overtaxed emergency departments "will lead to dire results for patients needing emergency care" in northern Middlesex County."Just the other day, we were still seeing 100 people a day in this ER," nurse Dana Burns said.Steward’s CEO Ralph de la Torre has been widely criticized for his lavish lifestyle as the hospital chain he managed fell apart."You were out buying yachts and jets and going to the Olympics. You at the Olympics while we were losing our jobs,” Burns said. “We are losing the community we are about. It is a disgrace, and in the end, I hope you rot in jail.”Massachusetts governor Maura Healey's office announced Friday afternoon that the Executive Office of Health and Human Services is in discussion with UMass Memorial Health and other providers around Nashoba Valley "with the goal of reimagining future care on the Nashoba Valley Medical Center campus.""UMass Memorial Health is considering alternative possibilities, such as converting the hospital's emergency room into an urgent care facility," Healey's office said. "While these discussions are in the early stages, there will be continued collaboration with UMass to attempt to provide an alternative health care option for residents."Healey announced Friday evening that Boston Medical Center has signed an asset purchase agreement to acquire and operate Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton from Steward Health Care.In addition, the governor's office says Boston Medical Center and Steward have reached an agreement to transfer the operations of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton to Boston Medical while state officials move forward with their plan to take the hospital by eminent domain."We’ll continue to press ahead with our plans to take St. Elizabeth’s by eminent domain to keep that hospital open," Healey said in a news release. The news comes a day after Steward announced Thursday that it had reached final deals to sell four other hospitals to nonprofit systems: Lifespan Health System will pay $175 million for St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton, while Lawrence General Hospital will pay $28 million for the Holy Family Hospitals in Methuen and Haverhill.The for-profit, private equity-backed hospital group's troubles exploded into view this year with the revelation that it owed about $50 million in unpaid rent.The Dallas-based group announced in July that it planned to sell the hospitals and close Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer."We recognize the pain and concern caused by Steward's closures of Nashoba Valley and Carney, and we want to assure their communities and staff that we are doing everything we can to support them through this transition," Healey wrote. The agreements will now have to be approved by the bankruptcy court at the upcoming hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 4. The future of Norwood Hospital, which was under construction, remains unclear.Information from the State House News Service was used in this report.
BOSTON —
Carney Hospital in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, Massachusetts officially closed their doors at 7 a.m. on Saturday, a decision made after the state did not receive any qualified bids for the Steward Health Care hospitals.
The closure comes despite multiple protests and pleas from doctors, nurses, patients, state and local government officials to find a way to keep the facilities open.
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Emotions ran high as staff gathered outside Carney Hospital after the facility abruptly locked its doors.
Many employees, some of whom have spent their entire careers serving the Dorchester community, expressed frustration and anger at how Steward Health Care handled the closure.
Signs were posted on the front door of the hospital announcing the closure, and exterior hospital signage was covered up. Signs announcing the closure posted at Carney Hospital directed patients to Milton Hospital, located a few miles away.
Any patients still in the emergency departments will continue to receive appropriate care until they can be discharged or transferred.
Hearst Owned
Now that the doors have been locked, the buildings no longer function as hospitals, leaving no clinical personnel on-site to assist in emergencies.
The state will have ambulances on standby outside both Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer and Carney Hospital in Dorchester for a week and is in talks to repurpose the Ayer hospital in some way, the governor's office said Friday.
The hospital closures leaves approximately 1,200 people out of work and further limit health care options for residents in Dorchester and the Nashoba Valley region.
"We’ve been here, myself and Barbara, since the beginning," said Karl Odom, a longtime Carney Hospital employee. "There are people who’ve been here for 50 years. I’ve been here for 46. We have people who’ve been here for 51 years."
APPicasa
An independent overseer warned this week that the "toxic combination" of longer emergency response and transport times and overtaxed emergency departments "will lead to dire results for patients needing emergency care" in northern Middlesex County.
"Just the other day, we were still seeing 100 people a day in this ER," nurse Dana Burns said.
Steward’s CEO Ralph de la Torre has been widely criticized for his lavish lifestyle as the hospital chain he managed fell apart.
"You were out buying yachts and jets and going to the Olympics. You at the Olympics while we were losing our jobs,” Burns said. “We are losing the community we are about. It is a disgrace, and in the end, I hope you rot in jail.”
Massachusetts governor Maura Healey's office announced Friday afternoon that the Executive Office of Health and Human Services is in discussion with UMass Memorial Health and other providers around Nashoba Valley "with the goal of reimagining future care on the Nashoba Valley Medical Center campus."
"UMass Memorial Health is considering alternative possibilities, such as converting the hospital's emergency room into an urgent care facility," Healey's office said. "While these discussions are in the early stages, there will be continued collaboration with UMass to attempt to provide an alternative health care option for residents."
Healey announced Friday evening that Boston Medical Center has signed an asset purchase agreement to acquire and operate Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton from Steward Health Care.
Hearst Owned
In addition, the governor's office says Boston Medical Center and Steward have reached an agreement to transfer the operations of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton to Boston Medical while state officials move forward with their plan to take the hospital by eminent domain.
"We’ll continue to press ahead with our plans to take St. Elizabeth’s by eminent domain to keep that hospital open," Healey said in a news release.
The news comes a day after Steward announced Thursday that it had reached final deals to sell four other hospitals to nonprofit systems: Lifespan Health System will pay $175 million for St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton, while Lawrence General Hospital will pay $28 million for the Holy Family Hospitals in Methuen and Haverhill.
Steward Health Care announces sale of four Massachusetts hospitals
The for-profit, private equity-backed hospital group's troubles exploded into view this year with the revelation that it owed about $50 million in unpaid rent.
The Dallas-based group announced in July that it planned to sell the hospitals and close Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer.
"We recognize the pain and concern caused by Steward's closures of Nashoba Valley and Carney, and we want to assure their communities and staff that we are doing everything we can to support them through this transition," Healey wrote.
The agreements will now have to be approved by the bankruptcy court at the upcoming hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
The future of Norwood Hospital, which was under construction, remains unclear.
Information from the State House News Service was used in this report.
