State has made available capital funding to support health care in impacted regions, expanded ambulance availability, held job fairs, opened call center

Boston - Ahead of Steward Health Care’s planned closures of Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer on Saturday, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is outlining steps it is taking to support impacted communities and hospital staff. 

“We’ve heard the concerns raised by the communities and staff impacted by Steward’s plans to close Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center. We share their frustration – Massachusetts communities should never have been put in this position,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Our teams have been preparing for this, and we will ensure that residents continue to have access to high-quality medical care and that all staff is connected to new employment opportunities at other facilities.”

“We understand the uncertainty so many are feeling as these trusted institutions wind down operations and care for their final few patients,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This transition is emotional and unsettling for patients, employees, and communities, and our goal is to make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible. We remain committed to preserving access to essential medical services and securing jobs for those affected by these closures.” 

The state is working to support health care access in impacted areas. The Department of Public Health (DPH) is opening applications for towns to apply for capital investments to acquire and upgrade ambulances and emergency medical vehicles, emergency medical equipment, life support devices, maintenance equipment, and other capital equipment associated with municipally-owned ambulance and emergency medical vehicles. Eligible towns include Ayer, Devens, Groton, Harvard, Littleton, Pepperell, Shirley, and Townsend.

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services is engaged in ongoing discussions with UMass Memorial Health and other providers in the region with the goal of reimagining future care on the Nashoba Valley Medical Center campus. UMass Memorial Health is considering alternative possibilities, such as converting the hospital’s emergency room into an urgent care facility. While these discussions are in the early stages, there will be continued collaboration with UMass to attempt to provide an alternative healthcare option for residents.

To help ease the transition to new providers and new employers, DPH stood up its Incident Command system in early May and it has been meeting daily to plan for potential scenarios, including the possibility of hospital closures. The actions that the state is taking – or will take - to support the affected communities include:

- Supporting the preservation and relocation of primary care practices, and some specialty care, and other services in the medical office buildings on the Carney and Nashoba Valley campuses;
- Working with emergency medical services, local fire chiefs, and ambulance companies to address the impact of closures on transport time and emergency vehicle availability;
- Organizing stand-by ambulances at both hospitals 24/7 for seven days following closure to triage and transport any patients who arrive at the emergency departments;
- Working with the Executive Office of Veterans Services and the VA system to transition care of veterans who had received care at Nashoba Valley and Carney;
- Continuing to work to identify and communicate transportation options for patients who will need to travel to new hospitals, offices, and other health care facilities;
- Working with the Department of Mental Health to support the opening of geriatric psychiatry beds at Good Samaritan Medical Center to offset the loss of beds at Carney and Nashoba Valley;
- Facilitating the transfer of medical residents from Carney to other hospitals where they can continue their training;
- Protecting ongoing access for patients to their medical records, imaging studies, and other vital health and medical information;
- Supporting the Community Care Pharmacy, which had been in the Carney Hospital lobby, as it seeks to relocate to a new site in the Dorchester community;
- Creating resources for patients, families, and communities, including a dedicated Steward Transition website, a call center, an interactive urgent care center map, and an interactive hospital capacity dashboard.

“The closure of a hospital is a devastating blow to a community, and in this case, the speed at which the process unfolded has added a further layer of disruption for so many residents,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh. “As Steward runs away from its obligations in these communities, we are running toward them to do what is needed to maintain access to essential medical care for patients and support the dedicated employees who have been delivering extraordinary care during this difficult time. We stand with these communities as we all move through this transition.” 

“Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center have been there for patients and families during their most vulnerable and anxious moments,” said Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD, Commissioner of Public Health. “In the past few weeks, we have heard remarkable stories highlighting the special bond that exists among these hospitals, the patients who seek care there, and the heroes who deliver that care. We must honor the legacies of these hospitals by supporting all those who have turned to them for healing, hope, and strength. We take this responsibility to heart, and we will not walk away from these communities.” 

Additionally, the state has been actively engaged for weeks with staff at the two facilities. The MassHire Rapid Response team has been onsite at Nashoba Valley and Carney to provide hundreds of workers with job services, including one-on-one and group meetings to explain unemployment insurance procedures and other programs, sharing job leads and job placement with employees based on their skills and the needs of the employer, providing targeted job search workshops, resume building and interview technique and preparation, and providing individualized assistance to troubleshoot challenges and answer questions. Rapid Response held four job fairs at both hospitals on Friday, August 23^rd and Tuesday, August 27^th. The job fairs provided an opportunity for impacted workers to meet directly with health care companies from across the state. There were 55 health care employers at the fairs with their job openings ranging from administrative positions, janitorial, security, maintenance, food service, Certified Nursing Assistants, Registered Nurses, and more.

“We know that losing a job is an incredibly stressful time for workers and their families and that’s why the administration has been working urgently to provide impacted workers from Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center with resources to connect interested workers with new jobs as soon as possible,” said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones. “Our team continues to work side by side with affected workers in both communities to deliver employment services, especially for the in-demand roles we know are critical for the health care industry in Massachusetts.”

Information about the closure of Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center and resources available to the patients, employees, and communities can be found at Steward Health Care transitions | Mass.gov or by calling the Commonwealth’s Steward Health Care Call Center at 617-468-2189 (local) or 833-305-2070 (toll-free) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET (excluding Massachusetts holidays).