Susan Church, who worked as a nurse at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Brighton for 34 years, is giving back to the job she loves and the community she loves amid uncertainty at Steward Healthcare's eight Massachusetts hospitals. I'm worried about losing society.
“Many of us have been here for 30 or 40 years. We all remain here because we do the best job we can for our patients. We care about this community.” she said.
Church, other health care providers and area residents in Allston and Brighton rallied in front of the hospital Monday, a day before the agreement, a deadline at the center of efforts to keep the for-profit Steward Hospital network afloat.
The system, which operates eight hospitals in Massachusetts, has been in financial trouble as politicians accuse the Steward operating company of failing to disclose financial information to state regulators. , the company is considering selling its physician network. Gov. Maura Healey and other elected officials called on Steward operators to leave the state, calling them “greedy.”
In late February, Steward issued a statement announcing that it was “firmly committed to providing a $150 million cash infusion to provide additional liquidity for the sale of physician group Stewardship Health, a highly desired asset.” announced that it had secured a major financing agreement.
“This will allow Steward to reset its operations and address vendor obligations,” the company said in a Feb. 23 release. “We are eager to resolve this issue to achieve a sustainable operating model.” “We are working on it.”
Lenders agreed to extend the loan until April 30 to give the company time to implement its plan. As that deadline approaches Tuesday, Steward Hospital officials say they have received little information about what will happen to the hospital and its work.
“They need to be more transparent,” Campbell told Corey Smith and Sue O'Connell about the stewards. Follow NBC10 Boston… Instagram: instagram.com/nbc10boston TikTok: tiktok.com/@nbc10boston Facebook: facebook.com/NBC10Boston X: twitter.com/NBC10Boston
“Our members are really concerned about the hospital closing,” Kari Medina, vice president of the Service Employees International Union Local 1199, told the news service. “They're very concerned about Steward declaring bankruptcy, and they want to know what's going to happen to their jobs. But more importantly, they're worried about each other and their community. That's what we care about, because it affects patients as well.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh told lawmakers last week that a bankruptcy filing was a possibility and acknowledged state receivership of the hospital was being discussed. She said “there are many things in this situation that are out of our control,” but also stressed that the state is “ready to respond.”
“Every day at 7:30, we have a stand-up call with leaders across government, outside counsel, people across the health system, and other colleagues from other parts of government to tell us what we know and what we are learning. “And how do we proceed?” she said.
Still, workers are worried about the future.
“(Healthcare workers) want to know that they can't come tomorrow, that the door will be locked,” Medina said.
The Healey administration has been holding closed-door meetings to prepare for various transition scenarios, but Medina said the 1199 SEIU, which represents Steward Hospital's 5,200 employees, has not been invited to the meetings. However, she said they have been contacted by the Ministry of Public Health.
Brighton Representative Kevin Honan and Boston City Council members Liz Breadon, Erin Murphy and Ed Flynn came to the rally to voice their support for keeping the hospital open.
Honan said she, like her entire family, was born at St. Elizabeth's College.
“This institution is not just an institution, it’s a very strong part of this community and it’s very important to us,” Honan said.
