'They were in tears,' Former employees reveal what happened when Compass Medical suddenly closed
EAST BRIDGEWATER - After abruptly and unexpectedly laying off more than 400 employees at six locations south of Boston last Wednesday and leaving 70,000 patients without primary care, Compass Medical filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy on Monday afternoon.
Court documents show the company estimates it is liable for a range of $1 million to $10 million.
Compass lost a lawsuit to Steward Healthcare in 2022 and was ordered to pay the company $16.4 million, but Steward Healthcare tells WBZ it has not been paid at all.
As the company formally files for bankruptcy, former employees are speaking with WBZ and revealing what happened behind closed doors the day Compass abruptly closed.
All employees were called to an 8 a.m. meeting with their department heads, they tell WBZ. "We thought all right, maybe it's got something to do with the merger and that kind of thing," Ericka O'Connell, a former phlebotomist at the East Bridgewater location, said.
Rumors had been swirling about a possible sale to a bigger medical practice. "Maybe they're going to give us good news, and it was 10 minutes later we were like... 'What are you talking about?'"
In those meetings, employees were told no patients would be seen after the close of business Wednesday, and that they would be paid only through Friday. At that point, their benefits - health, dental, life insurance, and more - would expire. "People were gasping. Some were crying," said Christine Leonard, a former ultrasonographer at the East Bridgewater office. "I had coworkers in that room that were about to deliver babies in two weeks, and to be told that they don't have health insurance anymore," Leonard said. "They were in tears."
Those working in the call center became the front-line fielding patient calls when news of the closure started to spread on social media. Former administrative assistant Jessica Flannery told WBZ employees were given a script to follow on the phone with questioning patients. "They were going to give us a script for us to tell the patient that they can't reschedule or book an appointment, yet we can't tell them why?" she said. "I just couldn't sit there and do that with the patients all day and not tell them why we couldn't reschedule an appointment or why we had to cancel an appointment."
The former employees told WBZ there had been concern in recent months that something might be wrong following the Steward lawsuit and several doctors leaving the practice. "All along they told us everything is going to be OK," Christine Leonard said. "We would have meetings, and we would have questions to our managers about what was going on with the company, why doctors were leaving, the lawsuit, but they kept telling us everything was going to be OK, and we really believed that. That's why we stayed for as long as we did."
Employees say they were not paid out for all of their accrued vacation time, either. "I had 253 hours of vacation time, and I was a 24 hour employee so I had over 10 weeks' vacation time, and then on Friday, I looked at my paystub and I only received 47 hours of that time," Leonard said. For her 40 hours of accrued time, Jessica Flannery was only paid for 12.
Several employees have filed complaints with the Attorney General's office about not being paid out for their accrued vacation time.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office said they have established an online complaint form for patient and employee concerns about Compass closing.
The AG also offered the following resources:
- Benefits: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (617) 565-9600
- Health Insurance: Mass. Health Connector 1 (877) 623-6765
- Unemployment: Mass. Department of Unemployment
- Reemployment resources: MassHire Rapid Response (617) 438-7841
One of the largest hurdles for these former employees is grappling with losing a job they loved in such a sudden and painful way. "I loved my job, every minute of it, and a lot of that was because of the patients," Ericka O'Connell said. "I thought I was going to be there forever."
"Almost 20 years working there, and I got nothing. No offer. We didn't even get a handshake or a pat on the back going out the door," Christine Leonard added.
"It was sad because we were like a family, each department, you work with them you know full-time or part-time, but they are a part of your life and they are like a family," Jessica Flannery said.
Most doctors from Compass Medical have relocated or are planning to relocate to other private practices in the state, but other employees are left filing for unemployment or searching for a new job or career.
"The patients felt safe with our staff," O'Connell said. "It's not everywhere where you can find a good phlebotomist. Our patients knew us by name, they know our husbands and dog's names. This was more than a business relationship; they trusted us and they deserved better than what happened."
Compass Medical Board of Directors President Dr. Bruce Weinstein issued a statement to WBZ, saying, in part, "While our company is closing, our providers will continue caring for patients at various practices throughout our region. Through these providers and their new practices, and ultimately the teams that will continue to support them, I am confident that Compass's legacy of high-quality patient care will continue throughout Southeastern Massachusetts."
