Greater than 1,000 staff are set to be laid off when Steward Health Care closes two of its Massachusetts hospitals on the finish of the month, the bankrupt Dallas-based firm instructed the state.
When Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Middle in Ayer shut on or round Aug. 31, roughly 1,243 staff on the two healthcare amenities will probably be out of labor, in keeping with a discover Steward filed with the state on Friday.
Some 753 staff at Carney are anticipated to lose their jobs, whereas 490 at Nashoba Valley will even be impacted, in keeping with the discover mandated by the federal Employee Adjustment and Retraining Act.
With the closures in sight, after a Texas-based federal chapter decide determined final week to permit the debt-ridden Steward to proceed, present and former sufferers are being notified to file proofs of declare.
The deadline to file proofs of claims towards the debtors is Aug. 23 at 6 p.m.
“Although you are receiving this notice it does not mean you have a claim or need to file a proof of claim,” the doc from chapter courtroom states. “You do not need to file a proof of claim for any refund arising in the ordinary course of business that the debtors have been previously authorized to pay by order of the court.”
“The debtors and their advisors are unable to provide you with any legal advice,” it provides. “To the extent you seek legal or other professional advice, please consult with your own lawyer or advisor.”
Chapter Choose Christopher Lopez mentioned federal chapter legal guidelines left him little selection however to permit the hospitals to shut.
“Closing one hospital is real — it’s affecting the lives of people who are in there right now,” he mentioned. “The importance of every individual weighs on me, when I’m told there could be life decisions… but from a legal standpoint, the debtors have the authority to close.”
Inside Ayer City Corridor final Tuesday, officers referred to as on Gov. Maura Healey to require Steward to observe state legislation that forces healthcare entities planning to shutter companies to inform the Division of Public Health at the least 120 days prematurely.
Healey had instructed reporters earlier final week there was nothing she might do to stop Steward from shuttering Nashoba Valley, Carney, or every other facility. However, on Thursday, the governor mentioned she is urgent Steward to stick to the state Division of Public Health regulation.
“I’ve been clear with Steward, they need to stay open for 120 days. We need to have a smooth transition. Steward made the call to close those two hospitals,” Healey instructed reporters. “We have been hard at work looking to secure a deal that will ensure a smooth transition of ownership away from Steward to a responsible operator.”
Nashoba Valley and Carney didn’t obtain certified bids for buy throughout an public sale held on July 15, whereas Steward’s 5 different operational hospitals did.
These amenities embrace Good Samaritan Medical Middle in Brockton, Holy Household Hospitals in Haverhill and Methuen, Morton Hospital in Taunton, Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Middle in Brighton.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu wrote a letter to the homeowners of Dorchester’s Carney Hospital on Thursday, demanding that the property should be used just for healthcare functions sooner or later. If not, the homeowners might face retribution from Wu’s workplace, the mayor warned.
“Our community is rightly concerned that your companies, not satisfied with the hundreds of millions in value already extracted from Steward hospitals, hope to capitalize on the closure of Carney Hospital by redeveloping the property,” Wu wrote. “I wish to be completely clear that my Administration will oppose any effort by possession to rezone the property for makes use of apart from the supply of well being care. “
