BOSTON (WHDH) - It’s deadline day for Steward Health Care – the embattled company must finalize the sales of its six Massachusetts hospitals.
A U.S. bankruptcy court judge held a rare hearing on Sunday about the pending sale. The judge approved the deals earlier this month, but left Steward and lenders to iron out their differences on how $17 million in proceeds would be divided up among creditors.
Three new operators will take over the six hospitals, including St. Elizabeth’s in Brighton.
“We’re feeling very grateful that the hospitals that are open now have new owners and people feel a little bit more settled,” said Katie Murphy, president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
The union represents workers at five Steward hospitals that are set to get new operators.
“Our nurses in the hospitals that are transitioning are heaving a sigh of relief,” Murphy said.
Officials in Boston said they’re looking forward to these long-awaited deals being finalized.
“It will be a relief to have some of the legal pieces fully tied up there,” said Mayor Michelle Wu.
Sec. Kate Walsh, the state’s secretary of health and human services, released a statement about the deals.
“Bankruptcy is always a long and complicated process. The Healey-Driscoll administration remains confident that these sales will be finalized soon and the five Steward hospitals will transition to new operators,” Walsh said.
Over the weekend, the troubled company’s CEO, Ralph de la Torre, announced he is resigning effective Tuesday, leaving behind a bankrupt company.
The U.S. Senate voted last week to hold him in criminal and civil contempt after failing to testify before a senate panel.
In August, Steward closed its two other hospitals in Massachusetts, Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer and Carney Hospital in Dorchester.
Mayor Michelle Wu said she’s working with the state to provide some type of health care access at Carney.
“It’s no longer an in-patient hospital, but there needs to be healthcare access on that sight,” Wu said. “It’s critical for residents to have emergency room access and a lot of the other services that have been provided.”
Wu emphasized these services are essential to the people of Boston.
“It’s life or death,” she said. “It’s the family members we care most about. It’s every bit of our quality of life and to have that secondary to profits had made an entire mess of lots and lots of people’s lives.”
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