Governor Healey Announces Agreements Now Signed to Save Four Steward Hospitals

Governor Healey Announces Agreements Now Signed to Save Four Steward Hospitals:

Boston, MA -- Governor Maura Healey is today announcing that Boston Medical Center (BMC) has signed an asset purchase agreement (APA) to acquire and operate Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton. Yesterday, APAs were signed to transfer ownership of both campuses of Holy Family Hospital in Haverhill and Methuen to Lawrence General Hospital and to transfer ownership of Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton to Lifespan. 

In addition, BMC and Steward have reached an agreement to transfer the operations of St. Elizabeth’s to BMC while the state presses forward with its plan to take the hospital by eminent domain.  

“We’ve said from the start that our focus was on protecting access to care, jobs and the stability of our health care system – and getting Steward out of Massachusetts. With this third agreement signed, we are delivering on those promises. We’ll continue to press ahead with our plans to take St. Elizabeth’s by eminent domain to keep that hospital open,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I'm grateful to Secretary Kate Walsh, Commissioner Robbie Goldstein and our teams who have worked day and night to get these deals through, and to Boston Medical Center, Lawrence General Hospital and Lifespan for stepping up to take control of these hospitals. We recognize the pain and concern caused by Steward’s closures of Nashoba Valley and Carney, and we want to assure their communities and staff that we are doing everything we can to support them through this transition.” 

“Integrating Good Samaritan Medical Center and St. Elizabeth's Medical Center into the BMC Health System aligns with our mission of ensuring high quality and equitable access to care while also providing vital health services for these communities,” said Alastair Bell, MD, MBA, CEO of Boston Medical Center Health System. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement to transition the operations and now shift focus to finalizing the transaction, integration planning and efforts to support the workforce and community. With this agreement today, we are grateful for the Healey administration’s leadership in averting a public health crisis, and for securing high quality healthcare that will serve communities long into the future.” 

The agreements will now have to be approved by the bankruptcy court at the upcoming hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 4. The Healey-Driscoll Administration is also in the process of taking control of St. Elizabeth’s through eminent domain to facilitate the transition to a new operator – Boston Medical Center – and keep the hospital open. 

Boston Medical Center, established in 1996 and located in Boston, is a not-for-profit academic medical center and safety-net hospital in the South End neighborhood. As part of the Boston Medical Center Health System, the hospital provides 514-bed care in over 70 specialties and subspecialties, as well as world-class trauma and emergency services to residents of the Greater Boston area. Boston Medical Center is a national leader in cutting-edge research, their world-renowned researchers currently oversee 789 research projects in areas such as substance use disorder, violence intervention, infectious disease, geriatrics, and hematology/oncology. 

Throughout the transition, Department of Public Health (DPH) monitors will remain in place to assess that the equipment, supplies, staffing, and processes necessary for safe care are in place. DPH, along with its Incident Command team, will work with communities to support an orderly transition that meets the needs of residents.