Boston City Council seeks public health emergency declaration to keep Carney Hospital open
BOSTON - The Boston City Council has approved a resolution that calls on the city to declare a public health emergency as Steward Health Care moves to close Carney Hospital in Dorchester by the end of the month.
"The loss of Carney Hospital would pose significant risk to the health and wellbeing of the communities served by these facilities, particularly a significant population from communities of color and economically disadvantaged residents disproportionately impacted by services closures," the resolution reads.
"Eighty to 100 emergency visits a day, that's roughly 30,000 emergency department visits per year," said Councilor John Fitzgerald, one of the sponsors of the resolution who laid out the stakes during the weekly council meeting. He was joined by another sponsor Councilor Ed Flynn. "At the end of the day we have to ask ourselves have we done everything in our power to keep it open," said Flynn.
Nurses, doctors at City Council meeting
It brought nurses and doctors from Carney directly to the council offices seeking their support. They also sat in the chambers watching over the proceedings. Their message was that the most vulnerable population of patients will be impacted.
"Our emergency room is in a lot of cases the only healthcare people see. Without that it's literally a matter of life or death," said Carney Hospital nurse Cal Donnelly-Colt. "My phone is ringing off the hook," said nurse Carly Malvesti. "I work in cardiology and patients are asking 'when am I going to get my meds, what if I run out of cardiac drugs.'"
Gov. Healey focused on saving 5 hospitals
Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer are both slated to close as part of Steward's bankruptcy proceedings. The state is still fighting to make sure the company's five other hospitals in the state stay open with Governor Healy pledging $30 million to that end. "I'm focused on saving five hospitals and protecting patients, protecting jobs and the stability of the healthcare market. That's what we're working on," said Governor Healey.
But the staff members who came to City Hall are imploring the governor to do more to keep Carney on the table as well, concerned about the ripple effect of a closure. "It's not just about Dorchester, but how it will also impact the rest of the state and other healthcare systems that are already overwhelmed," said Dr. Amy Zhang.
The resolution overwhelmingly passed the council with only hope it can buy some time to find a buyer. "There's not a lot of levers we can pull, but by doing so we have to amplify it so the whole city understands the ramifications of what happens if the hospital closes," said Councilor Fitzgerald.
A spokesperson for Mayor Wu released a statement saying that "a declaration would not create any new authority and resources at the local level to address this crisis, so we continue to partner on what the City can best deliver and advocate alongside our community."
