Protestors fight to keep 2 Steward hospitals open amid hearing to expedite closures

The fight to keep two Massachusetts hospitals will head to the State House on Wednesday as the for-profit healthcare provider’s plans to close the sites is the subject of a hearing in Houston, Texas.

Residents, caregivers and public officials are set to call on state lawmakers to save Dorchester’s Carney Hospital and Ayer’s Nashoba Valley Medical Center. State Senator Jamie Eldridge and State Senator Nick Collins are expected to join the group late Wednesday morning.

Steward announced earlier this month it planned to close the two hospitals after no qualified bids emerged for the healthcare facilities during ongoing bankruptcy proceedings. Steward said the two hospitals will close on or around August 31 after requesting an expedited closure.

Massachusetts law typically requires 120-day notice.

Wednesday’s hearing in Houston bankruptcy court will focus on the impacts on patient safety if the two hospitals were to close on short notice.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey demanded that Steward Health Care finalize deals to sell its remaining Bay State hospitals, denouncing the for-profit healthcare provider’s “greed and mismanagement.”

“This is not over. It’s regrettable that Ralph de la Torre and Steward’s greed and mismanagement are resulting in the closures of Carney and Nashoba Valley hospitals. These hospitals have long served their communities,” Healey said in a statement. “Their closures are about more than the loss of beds, doctors, and nurses. We want to assure the people of Massachusetts that we have prepared diligently for this moment and will take all available steps to help facilitate a smooth transition for impacted patients and employees.”

Steward says it did receive bids to run its other Bay State hospitals, which include Morton Hospital in Taunton, Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Holy Family in Methuen and Haverhill, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, and St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River.

Norwood Hospital, which has been closed since 2020, is not included in the sale process.

Ralph de la Torre, the company’s CEO, has been asked to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in September.

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

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