City Council calls for public health emergency to close Carney Hospital

Local News

The decision is not binding, and the Wu administration says such an announcement will not solve the problem.

The Boston City Council passed a sweeping resolution Wednesday calling on the city to declare a public health emergency over the closing of Carney Hospital in Dorchester, as the effects of the Steward Health Care crisis are continuing to repeat themselves throughout Massachusetts.

The Dallas-based Steward announced in May that it is filing for bankruptcy and will sell 30 hospitals nationwide. Last month, the company said it was working to sell or flip eight of its Massachusetts hospitals, but there were no qualified offers for two of them: Carney and Nashoba Valley Medical Center. Ayer. As a result, those two hospitals would be closed.

All Steward Hospitals in Massachusetts are currently open, and the state has made many resources available online for patients.

The decision passed by the City Council also encouraged the city government and the state to prepare to seize the property of Carney with a famous place and continue to operate the hospital if there are no sellers available.

Several members of the council lashed out at Steward and spoke passionately about Carney at Wednesday’s meeting. Many officials shared personal stories: Councilwoman Julia Mejia said the staff there saved her life after an asthma attack, Councilwoman Erin Murphy recalls bringing her children there several times. many over the years, and Councilman Ed Flynn shared that his grandmother worked in Carney’s kitchen. that he also worked there as a member of the security team.

Nurses from Carney appeared at the meeting, and applause followed other councilors’ speeches as they spoke about the importance of saving the hospital.

“At the end of the day we have to ask ourselves as city officials, ‘Have we done everything in our power to keep it open?’ Have we given 100 percent of our time and effort to keep it open?’ We’re not there yet. It’s time to talk about closing. Now is the time to stand with the dedicated workers and fight for them. Because they have been fighting for patients in this city for more than 100 years.” Flynn said.

More than 1,200 workers could lose their jobs if Carney and Nashoba Valley close. As the turmoil continues to consume Steward and employees fight for their jobs, the company’s much-criticized chairman Ralph de la Torre is reportedly in France, watching the Olympic equestrian events in Versailles.

Earlier this month, a bankruptcy judge approved the closing of Carney and Nashoba Valley. Steward had filed a motion in court asking for an expedited deadline to close the hospitals in Aug. 31. A day later, Mass. Gov. Maura Healey said she is pressing Steward to obey the state law requiring hospital owners to give 120 days’ notice before any medical facility closes.

Ayer officials recently passed on their decision to have Healey declare a public health emergency.

Wu Administration: A public health emergency will not work

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who has joined other top elected officials in criticizing Steward and calling for the hospitals to stay open, said she would oppose any attempt by Carney’s owners to convert the property for other uses. and providing health care.

The resolution passed by the City Council is not binding, but was intended to send a strong message, councilors said. They expressed urgency about the situation, and focused on upcoming public hearings about Carney and Nashoba Valley. Carney’s trial, one in person and the other in reality, will be held next Tuesday and Wednesday.

In response to the decision, a spokesperson for the Wu administration said the city continues to work with labor leaders, patients, Dorchester residents, and government officials at all levels to manage the “devastating effects” that were will be brought about by Carney’s closure.

However, declaring a public health emergency will not be an effective solution, the spokesperson said.

“Our careful review of local emergency declarations has shown that public health emergency declarations are used to cancel procurement procedures or expedite the delivery of federal or state funds. However, the announcement will not create any new authority at the local level to address this issue, so we continue to cooperate with what the City can present and advocate together with our community,” the spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.

Widespread effects

Courts emphasized that, if Carney closes, the effects will be felt far beyond Dorchester. The hospital registers about 30,000 emergency visits a year.

“These closures will worsen the already overburdened health care system we have today, and will affect every part of the city of Boston and beyond that needs services. of health. This closure puts the health of everyone in our neighborhood at risk,” said Councilor John FitzGerald.

The President of the Council Ruthzee Louijeune clearly criticized the role of private equity in health care.

“It’s a problem when the profit model is the most important. Steward Health Care should not have been allowed to operate these hospitals,” he said. “We have people who have a greater interest than private equity. they’re interfering with the health of vulnerable people – it’s a big deal.”