Steward Health Care entered into agreements to sell four Massachusetts hospitals to new owners, preventing the facilities from closing after months of concern that communities could lose access to vital health care facilities.
The Dallas-based company said Thursday it had entered into “definitive agreements” to sell St. Anne’s Hospital and Morton Hospital to Providence-based Lifespan Health System, as well as the two locations of Holy Family Hospital to Lawrence General Hospital.
The company, which worked its way through bankruptcy last year, also said it was “finalizing an agreement” to sell both Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton to Boston Medical Center.
John Castellano, chief restructuring officer at Steward Health Care, said the company was “thrilled” to have found buyers for the four facilities while Steward’s bankruptcy proceedings are still ongoing.
“In Lifespan, Lawrence General Hospital and Boston Medical Center, we have found partners with deep experience treating communities in the Northeastern United States. Through these transactions, the people of the Commonwealth will continue to receive much-needed care while Steward remains focused on its ongoing Chapter 11 proceedings,” Castellano said in a statement.
Governor Maura Healey had already raised the possibility of transferring some hospitals to new operators earlier this month when she announced preliminary contracts for the four facilities.
“With this agreement, we are achieving our goal of maintaining and protecting access to care and jobs in southeastern Massachusetts and the Merrimack Valley while removing Steward Health Care from Massachusetts once and for all,” Healey said in a statement announcing the agreements.
I welcome Lifespan, its leadership and team to Southeast Massachusetts and thank Lawrence General Hospital for their commitment to maintaining care in the Merrimack Valley. We will all work hard to get this across the finish line,” she continued.
Health care workers are “incredibly relieved” that four Steward Health Care hospitals in Massachusetts are in new hands after months of uncertainty, said Tim Foley, deputy executive director of 1199SEIU, a union that represents health care workers.
“Now that Steward’s greed and mismanagement at these sites is behind us, we can turn our full attention to the important work of rebuilding our hospitals and caring for our patients,” Foley said in a statement. “We call on Steward to quickly complete the sale of St. Elizabeth’s and Good Samaritan so that health care workers – and the patients who depend on our care – no longer have to live in fear and can focus on the future.”
Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer are scheduled to remain closed through Saturday.
Healey’s government is attempting to expropriate St. Elizabeth Medical Center, but is facing resistance from the asset management firm that controls the facility.
“We continue to work as quickly as possible to complete the agreement for another qualified operator to acquire Good Samaritan, advance our plans to assume control of St. Elizabeth’s through expropriation, and support the communities impacted by the impending closure of Nashoba Valley and Carney hospitals,” Healey said in a statement.
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