BOSTON (WHDH) - Steward Health Care is planning to close Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer next month after the company said it did not receive any qualified bids to buy the hospitals.
Steward declared bankruptcy earlier this year. In a statement Friday, Steward said it “has been actively working to sell or transition all its Massachusetts hospitals.”
Steward said it was in “active final negotiations” to sell six hospitals in the state. But with no buyers in place for Carney Hospital or Nashoba Valley Medical Center, Steward said both facilities are scheduled to close on or around Aug. 31.
“This is a challenging and unfortunate situation, and the effect it will have on our patients, our employees, and the communities we serve is regrettable,” Steward said. “We will do all we can to ensure a smooth transition for those affected while continuing to provide quality care to the patients we will continue to serve.”
With hospital closures looming, Gov. Maura Healey said “This is not over.”
“It’s regrettable that [Steward CEO] Ralph de la Torre and Steward’s greed and mismanagement are resulting in the closures of Carney and Nashoba Valley hospitals,” Healey said.
Healey said the hospital closures “are about more than the loss of beds, doctors, and nurses” and said state officials “have prepared diligently for this moment.”
Moving forward, Healey said the state “will take all available steps to help facilitate a smooth transition for impacted patients and employees.”
Steward has nine hospitals in Massachusetts, including Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center. The company previously said it planned to sell its operational Massachusetts hospitals as part of its bankruptcy process. Norwood Hospital, which has been closed since severe flooding in 2020, will not be sold.
On Tuesday, Healey told reporters “We have qualified bids for all the hospitals.”
Come Friday, after Steward said it received no such qualified bids for Carney and Nashoba Valley, Healey called on Steward to finalize deals to sell its other local facilities.
“It is time for Steward and their real estate partners to finally put the communities they serve over their own selfish greed,” Healey said. “They need to finalize these deals that are in their best interest and the best interest of patients and workers.”
Healey noted the work of Steward employees. Looking ahead, her office said the Carney and Nashoba Valley closures will “proceed through an orderly and regulated closure.”
“For our administration, this has always been about protecting health care and jobs,” Healey said. “We have been working every day toward that goal, and I can tell you that we are continuing to do everything we can to accomplish that.”
Under scrutiny for his company’s financial decisions leading up to its bankruptcy declaration, de la Torre, the Steward CEO, has drawn the ire of public officials at the state, local and federal level in recent months.
Just this week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee voted to authorize an investigation into Steward’s bankruptcy and subpoena de la Torre.
As news of upcoming hospital closures rippled through the Boston area and central Massachusetts, State Sen. Jamie Eldridge said he was “heartbroken.”
Eldridge, who represents communities including Ayer, called Nashoba Valley “a treasured community hospital” and called on Healey “to continue to work to stop any hospital from closing.”
Eldridge asked Healey to create a transition plan and noted state law that requires hospitals to notify the state Department of Public Health at least 120 days before a proposed closure date.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association similarly highlighted the required 120 day notice and asked state officials to enforce the law.
Healey’s office said a bankruptcy judge will need to approve Steward’s motion to close Carney and Nashoba Valley.
She also noted the notice requirement, saying “Steward is required to send a notice of closure to the Department of Public Health, which will then facilitate a transition for impacted patients and employees.”
The Healey Administration urged patients at Carney and Nashoba Valley to contact their providers to discuss referrals and get their records transferred to new providers.
Steward said it will work closely with patients at Carney and Nashoba Valley to help them find new alternative care. The company said it will also work with employees “to assist with this very difficult transition.”
As of late Friday morning, Steward said it had notified “the appropriate state and federal agencies on the closure process.”
A few hours later, Carney hospital patient Sonia Lyle said she was “very disappointed and sad” about the day’s developments.
“I’m going home with a broken heart,” she said.
“I hope they change their mind and they keep it open,” said one other person in the area. “We need it.”
Carney hospital employee Alyssa Bartolomew said she was mad.
“I’m mad because of the way they tricked us,” she said. “They told us that we were OK.”
Carney traces its history back to 1863 and is currently licensed for 109 beds, according to the state Department of Public Health. Carney recorded 2,653 visits to its emergency department in June, marking a decrease of 4.9% compared to figures from June 2023.
Nashoba Valley Medical Center was founded in 1964 and is licensed for 57 beds. Nashoba Valley recorded 1,384 visits to its emergency department in June, down 3.4% compared to June 2023.
Nashoba Valley registered nurse Michelle Travers said that many of the hospital’s employees have worked there for years.
“Lot of longevity here. Lot of nurses with many, many, many years,” she said.
The hospital president walked from department to department spreading the word that the hospital would be closing, perhaps as soon as the end of August.
“We’ve worked so hard to make sure the public, the community knows how detrimental it will be to the surrounding towns, not just Ayer. If Nashoba Valley closes, I really feel kind of sucker-punched,” said nurse Naomi Andrews.
With Carney and Nashoba Valley set to close, state officials have directed patients to an online interactive dashboard that allows people to identify nearby hospitals, see available services at each hospital, and see updates on patient volumes.
Back at Carney Hospital, by 4 p.m. Friday, someone had placed a cardboard sign outside the hospital campus.
“That’s for everything Ralph!” the sign said in a potential reference to de la Torre.
Asked if she had a message to Steward, Bartolomew responded.
“You failed us,” she said. “You failed us terribly.”
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