Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey today announced the organizations likely to take over the hospitals controlled by Steward Health Care following its bankruptcy announcement earlier this year. For St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, the operation is expected to be taken over by Rhode Island’s Lifespan.
From the Governor’s Office
BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey today announced that deals in principle have been reached to transition operations at four Steward hospitals – Saint Anne’s Hospital, Good Samaritan Medical Center, the Holy Family Hospitals and Morton Hospital – to new operators. The Healey-Driscoll administration will then take control of Saint Elizabeth’s through eminent domain to facilitate the transition to a new owner and keep the hospital open.
“Today, we are taking steps to save and keep operating the five remaining Steward Hospitals, protecting access to care in those communities and preserving the jobs of the hard-working women and men who work at those hospitals,” said Governor Healey. “Our team under Secretary Kate Walsh worked day in and day out to secure new, responsible, qualified operators who will protect and improve care for their communities. We’re grateful for the close collaboration of the Legislature to develop a fiscally responsible financing plan to support these transitions.”
“When it comes to finalizing a deal for Saint Elizabeth’s, MPT, Macquarie and Apollo have repeatedly chosen to put their own interests above the health and wellbeing of the people of Massachusetts,” said Healey. “Enough is enough. Our administration is going to seize control of Saint Elizabeth’s through eminent domain so that we can facilitate a transition to a new owner and keep this hospital open.”
If the deals are finalized, Lawrence General Hospital will become the new operator for both campuses of Holy Family in Haverhill and Methuen. Lifespan would assume operations of Morton and Saint Anne’s, and Boston Medical Center would take over Good Samaritan, as well as Saint Elizabeth’s after the taking process is complete.
To support these new operators through this transition as they continue care for Massachusetts residents, the Healey-Driscoll administration has worked closely with the Legislature to develop a fiscally responsible financing plan that includes cash advances, capital support and maximizing federal matches.
These actions do not impact Carney or Nashoba Valley hospitals, which will close after not receiving qualified bids. The administration is focused on supporting workers and connecting them to new jobs while also safely transitioning care.
As part of that, the administration has:
Committed $30 million to keep the hospitals open through the end of the month.
Yesterday, the Governor demanded that Steward make good on its commitment for severance pay to employees as part of any Massachusetts sale.
The MassHire Rapid Response team has been onsite at Nashoba and Carney and met with hundreds of workers to provide job services and connect them with job openings.
In the next two weeks, MassHire Rapid Response will host job fairs at both Carney and Nashoba on August 23 and August 27. The job fairs will include more than 40 health care employers in Massachusetts looking for skilled talent.
All Steward facilities remain open and are treating patients.
