Steward to close Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Massachusetts
BOSTON - Steward Health Care, which filed for bankruptcy and put all of its U.S. hospitals up for sale this year, said Friday it is closing two hospitals in Massachusetts. Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer will close on or around Aug. 31, Steward said.
Reacting to the news, Gov. Maura Healey said "this is not over" and demanded that Steward complete deals to sell its remaining hospitals that are open in Massachusetts.
"It is time for Steward and their real estate partners to finally put the communities they serve over their own selfish greed," Healey said in a statement. "They need to finalize these deals that are in their best interest and the best interest of patients and workers."
Steward said in a statement that it has been trying to sell all its Massachusetts hospitals, but there were "no qualified bids" for Carney or Nashoba Valley. The company said it would work with patients to find care alternatives.
"This is a challenging and unfortunate situation, and the effect it will have on our patients, our employees, and the communities we serve is regrettable," Steward said. "We will do all we can to ensure a smooth transition for those affected while continuing to provide quality care to the patients we will continue to serve."
Carney Hospital has 83 medical beds and serves a large immigrant community and many people of color in Boston, but in June only an average of 13 of its beds were filled. At Nashoba Valley Medical Center, just 11 of 46 beds were filled last month, according to the governor's office.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association said closing the hospitals with less than 120 days notice would violate state law.
"The loss of these hospitals will not only impact these patients and communities, but will also compromise the care for patients served by other hospitals in the region, hospitals that are already overwhelmed and will now be forced to absorb those patients abandoned as a result of these closures," the union said in a statement.
Patients, employees shocked by closure
"Very, very disappointed and sad," said patient Sonia Lyle of Mattapan. "I'm going home with a broken heart."
Lyle recovered from a stroke due to the care she received at Carney Hospital. "We are like family right here. All the doctors see me they know be my name, and I know them by name," Lyle said.
Staff were stunned by the news too, knowing they will be without jobs in just one month.
"And what's going on in the economy now, what are we going to do? We have kids," said Alyssa Bartholomew who works in patient communications at Carney Hospital. "We have to make groceries. We are in shock."
Rural community worried about care
The Nashoba Valley Medical Center is a lifeline for so many people in the rural area of Ayer who are left with a lot questions about the closure. "It's just sad and disappointing," ER patient Nicole Williams said.
Williams said she is devastated knowing the hospital will be closing for good. "The hospital has been here for everyone in the community, and I feel bad for everybody that works here," Williams said. "They work really hard and it's just a shame they're all going to lose their jobs and we're not going to have a local community hospital."
The Valeri family wonders how far patients like their elderly dad will now have to travel for care. "We don't have too many hospitals around, so everybody has to go to Worcester for care sot it's a lot. It's a lot for everybody," said Kristin Valeri.
"There were a couple of massive emergencies that came in by ambulance," Williams said. "So it is just a shame they're going to have to travel further for really bad situations."
Steward hospitals in Massachusetts
Besides Carney and Nashoba Valley, the Steward hospitals in Massachusetts are Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Holy Family Hospital in Haverhill and Methuen, Morton Hospital in Taunton, Saint Anne's Hospital in Fall River, and St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton.
Steward's Norwood Hospital has been closed ever since it was flooded in June 2020 by heavy rains. Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts said earlier this year that Steward wants to abandon plans to ever re-open the hospital.
Back in February, Healey sent a letter to Steward telling the company to get out of the Massachusetts hospital business.
Senators subpoena Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre
CBS News reported recently that federal authorities in Boston have opened a criminal investigation into the Dallas-based Steward, according to sources. The investigation is based on allegations that include fraud and possible violations of a law that prohibits corrupt activities while operating overseas.
And on Thursday, a bipartisan group of senators voted to subpoena Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre. He's accused of profiting at the expense of patients
Federal filings from 2021 show Steward's owners paid themselves millions in dividends. Around that time, de la Torre acquired a 190-foot yacht that's estimated to be worth $40 million.
"This is a story of private equity with no constraints taking over a massive hospital system and looting it for its wealth," Sen. Ed Markey said. "All I can say to Ralph de la Torre is you cannot treat communities as expendable. You are accountable, your day of reckoning is arriving."
