City councilors vote overwhelmingly to stop Carney hospital closure

BOSTON — It would seem the deck is stacked against Carney Hospital when it comes to its planned closure.

Tuesday, the judge presiding over Steward Health Care’s bankruptcy, approved an emergency motion from the Healey administration to provide Steward with $30 million to ease the transition of its Massachusetts properties to new owners.

According to Becker’s Hospital Report, the lawyer representing Massachusetts alluded to  these funds going to the “six remaining facilities.”

Given Steward owns eight hospitals in Massachusetts, that would seem to exclude Carney as well as Nashoba Valley Medical Center, which Steward also plans to close.

Still, supporters of keeping Carney open aren’t giving up.

Wednesday, Boston’s City Council voted almost unanimously (12-0-1) to approve a resolution calling on Governor Maura Healey and the Boston Public Health Commission to declare a public health emergency over the planned Carney closure.

“It’s a good first step,” said Councilor John FitzGerald, one of the initial sponsors of the measure. “It’s a message to be sent, but, at the same time, right now, we’ve got to make sure that a deal can be struck.”

Last month, Steward said it did strike deals to sell six of its Massachusetts hospitals but lacked ‘qualified bidders’ for Carney and Nashoba Valley. The Council vote is an attempt to buy some time so that a new buyer can be found.

But the resolution, in and of itself, won’t change anything. FitzGerald said more work needs to be done.

“We’ve got to amplify it so the whole city understands the ramifications of what will happen if this hospital closes,” he said.

Among the more consequential ramifications: the loss of 700 jobs at Carney (Steward said another 400 will also be laid off at Nashoba Valley).

It’s very simple to say it’s just Carney, you’ll find another job,” said Sheila Delaney, RN, a nurse at Carney. “It’s just Dorchester. But it’s not.”

In fact, Carney workers predict other area hospitals will feel the pain if it closes.

“There’s going to be a ripple effect on other hospitals throughout the state,” said Amy Zhang, MD, an anesthesiologist at Carney. Those ripples come at a time when many hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients. “There are tremendous wait times to see a specialist,” Zhang said. “Or to see an Emergency Department physician.”

In a statement to Boston 25, the Healey Administration said it continues to press Steward to follow Department of Public Health regulations that require 120-days notice of a hospital closure. But, the statement notes that both Carney and Nashoba Valley are out of money and have low patient levels. The statement said the imperative now is to finalize deals and transfer the remaining hospitals to new owners as soon as possible.

But Carney employees said that at the moment it is business as usual, despite the looming deadline.

“We are still seeing the same patient population,” said Mary Ann Rockett, RN, a nurse at Carney. “Still taking excellent care of them.”

Rockett said she hasn’t started looking for a job.

“I haven’t even written my resume yet,” she said.

RELATED:

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group