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Steward Health Care is in the midst of closing Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer after filing for bankruptcy in 2024.
Steward announced on July 26 that both of the aforementioned Massachusetts locations would shut down by August 31 of this year, despite employing more than 1,200 workers and serve a large population within the region, according to CBS News. The announcement of the closures reportedly violated a state law that mandates a 120-day notice prior to the closure of a hospital.
Employees of Carney Hospital rallied Monday to try and prevent the institution from closing at the end of August. Lawmakers were called upon to help save the workers jobs and serve the patients across the area and maintain the 159 beds (70 of which are psychiatric) available. (TAKE A POLL: Do You Believe That Tax Cuts for Corporations Benefit the Average Citizen?)
Greed?
“We cannot let the greed and the adverse of Steward defeat entire populations here in these communities. Step up and do the right thing. If you’re able or unwilling to do the right thing, get out of the way and let those of us who can do it,” one employee told the crowd.
“70 percent of the patients that we see are on Medicaid. There are no other places that take those patients, that care as much as we do about those patients and provide them not just with medical services, we feed them, we clothe them, we follow up with them. It’s imperative that we continue to serve this community,” said acute care nurse practitioner Stephen Wood. (TAKE A POLL: Are You Concerned About Data Privacy and Security?)
Debt
Steward Health Care filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2024, claiming it is millions of dollars in debt. The company owns hospitals across Massachusetts, Florida, and its headquarters state of Texas, CBS noted. (TAKE A POLL: Do You Think Advancements in Technology Will Lead to Greater Economic Inequality?)
The company is now under federal investigation by authorities in Boston. Senators voted to subpoena Steward’s CEO Ralph de la Torre, who is accused of profiting at the expense of patients. “You are responsible for every minute longer that a patient has to wait for care, every lost dollar of workers’ salaries,” Senator Ed Markey said at a rally.
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