The Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents more than 3,000 registered nurses working in hospitals impacted by the Steward crisis was pleased to see the announcement today by Governor Healey that a deal in principle has been negotiated that will secure new, responsible not-for-profit operators for Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Morton Hospital in Taunton. Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River and the Holy Family Hospitals in Methuen and Haverhill. We were also encouraged to see the Governor take the bold step of seizing St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton by eminent domain in an effort to save this vital facility.
While this is a positive development and a welcome sign for the communities and dedicated workforce at these facilities, and while we look forward to working with all parties to ensure a smooth transition for these facilities to new operators in the coming days and weeks, we will withhold more detailed commentary until the full and final agreements for these transactions are revealed and can be evaluated.
As to the fate of Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center, we continue to share and echo the concerns of the hundreds of community members, public officials, first responders and frontline caregivers, who participated in this week’s jam-packed DPH public hearings in their call for equally bold steps to be taken to save these facilities, as the loss of these hospitals would precipitate a public disaster for those communities.
A key part of that effort we are committed to work with these communities and other stakeholders to identify and secure new bidders for these facilities, which responds to the Governor’s comment at her press conference today that if such a bidder was found, the state would be ready to act to preserve these hospitals.
