Mass. officials look to stymie ‘expedited closures’ of Steward hospitals in Dorchester and Ayer

Sen. Markey, state representatives, Mayor Wu, and other elected officials held a press conference Monday afternoon to oppose the plan.

Activists chanted “Carney! Carney! Carney!” and held signs reading “Protest Our Health” and “Keep Carney Open” in front of Carney Hospital in Dorchester Monday afternoon.

The noisy background took place as Massachusetts officials — including US Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Stephen Lynch, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, state Sen. Nick Collins, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu — took to the podium during a press conference to condemn Steward Health Care’s tactics and the group’s planned closures of Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer.

The only specifics Steward has shared so far, Lynch said, is its request for an expedited closure.

“The only plan on the table right now was announced two days ago in bankruptcy court, and that was for a request of an expedited closure of Carney Hospital, without notice, without any process, without telling the employees, without telling the neighborhood anything about that decision,” said Lynch.

“Our plan is to stop that,” he said before being cut short due to a protestor yelling “Carney!” through a bullhorn.

The call for action follows Steward Health Care’s announcement of the closure of Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center on Friday. Steward Health wants to close both facilities by Aug. 31, despite state laws requiring 120 days’ notice before hospital closures.

Lynch said Carney Hospital, specializing in mental health and psychiatric care, saw 30,000 visits last year. Pressley added that the hospital provides psychiatric care for veterans and has one of the shortest ER wait times in the city. Wu added that EMS and emergency services transported more than 600 residents to Carney last year.

“The removal of the hospital from that network will be a devasting blow to the mental health of our neighborhood,” Lynch said. “This is a very diverse community, and there are people who have nowhere else to turn if Carney were to go away. So we want a better result for these families, a better result for these employees.”

Sen. Markey said the hospital was established in 1863 by Andrew Carney to create a place where the sick could be received and cared for without distinction of color or nation.

“More than 160 years later, health providers here at Carney embody that mission,” said Markey. “They have saved lives, cared for grandparents, parents and grandchildren, and held the hands of loved ones in moments of fear and loss.”

Markey, the chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, has subpoenaed Ralph de la Torre, the owner of Steward Health Care, to speak at a Sept. 12 hearing.

“Andrew Carney is rolling in his grave right now, thinking about what Steward Health Care has done to his legacy,” Markey said.

State Sen. Nick Collins said he supports legislation that will give the Department of Public Health receivership and provide funding to keep the hospitals open until a qualified bidder comes forward.

In front of the crowd, Wu yelled through a bullhorn, “We are frustrated and angry to be here.”

Wu said the city and the Boston Public Health Commission are partnering with the governor and the state’s Department of Public Health to ensure a clear path to meet the community’s needs.

“Everything is on the table,” Wu said.

Karl Odom, a cardiopulmonary technician at Carney for 47 years, said, “There were a number of street fighters who spoke here today, and I do have the confidence that they are going to put that effort into keeping this place open with the encouragement of the people who have shown up today.”

Massachusetts to give Steward Health $30 million

Court documents filed on Friday showed that the Healey administration will provide $30 million to the bankrupt Steward Health Care. According to bankruptcy court documents, the payment will help keep the company’s Massachusetts properties operating as they transition to new owners.

The state will pay out the money in two batches, the first of which will be paid around Aug. 1 and the second around Aug. 15.

The first round of payments, totaling around $11.3 million, will go to Morton Hospital, Nashoba Valley Medical Center, Carney Hospital, Good Samaritan Medical Center, and Holy Family Hospital.

The second round of payments will include those same hospitals and add Norwood Hospital, Saint Anne’s Hospital, and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center for about $18.7 million.

Gov. Maura Healey’s office, in a statement to 7 News Boston, said the payment is to ensure that “all of Steward’s hospitals in Massachusetts can continue to operate through the end of August.”

A spokesperson told 7 News Boston that the funds will not require a new legislative appropriation.

The governor’s office said the payments are “advances” on Medicaid funds that the state owes Steward.

The payments come with some contingencies, including orderly movement toward new ownership and not using the funds to pay for rental payments to Medical Properties Trust — which owns the land the two closing hospitals sit on — or for debt service or management fees.