by John Osborn ·
Friday, August 16, 2024
Hundreds of health care workers, first responders, state and local officials, and residents filled the main ballroom of the Devens Commons Center in Devens Thursday night to attend a standing room only public hearing, voice their alarm over Steward Health Care’s planned closing of Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, and critique the perceived disinterest of the Healey administration in keeping the hospital open.
Speaker after speaker testified that the planned closure of the 60-year old hospital on Aug. 31, barely two weeks from today, would be a health care disaster for the region, depriving Leominster and Fitchburg, 14 towns, and the Devens Regional Enterprise Zone of vital medical services and jobs, increasing the time EMS crews will need to reach more distant and already stressed emergency rooms in Concord and Leominster, add adding dollars to town and city budgets for fuel, maintenance, and, some argued, the purchase of additional ambulances.
The region’s legislators and officials, including the mayors of Leominster and Fitchburg and members of the select boards of Ayer, Groton, and Pepperell spoke of their frustration with Gov. Maura Healey and her administration for failing to take action. Healey has said repeatedly the matter is out of her hands. But area leaders have appealed to her to declare an emergency and take control of the hospital. At the very least, they say, Healey should insist that Steward be held to the requirement of 120 days notice for any closing and use state money to keep the hospital operating during that time.
The crowd voices its opinion at the public hearing at the Devens Commons Center Thursday, Aug. 15. (Photo by Jen Manell)
Those requests are repeated in resolutions voted unanimously by six towns: Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, Dunstable, Littleton, Shirley, and Townsend. (The Harvard Select Board meets Tuesday, Aug. 20, to consider a resolution of its own.) In addition, nine Nashoba Valley fire chiefs have sent a letter to Goldstein detailing the impact the closure will have on their services and stating that the best course of action is to keep the hospital open. “We are willing to collaborate with stakeholders, including healthcare providers, local government, and community organizations, to address these challenges and develop a comprehensive plan to support our residents during this transitional period. and hopefully keep NVMC open.”
In a brief interview before the meeting, state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, who represents Ayer and a number of surrounding towns, said, “We are not giving up,” Members of the local state delegation continue to search for someone to buy Nashoba. And Salvatore Perla, Steward’s president of Nashoba, who was present for the hearing, later told the Press that he and his staff were continuing to search for a qualified buyer. “The bid process was done elsewhere, but we're all still looking to get interest [in the hospital]. Nothing's over until it's over.” He added: “There are people around that want to help, but we need to get an entity to put a qualified bid in.”
Robbie Goldstein, commissioner of the Department of Public Health, began the evening by stating, as he has elsewhere, that the matter is out of the state’s hands. He acknowledged that the situation feels unwarranted and undeserved. “It is unfair,” he said.
But he insisted the Department of Public Health “does not have the ability, nor the authority to prevent or deny closure of this hospital.” He said,“ We cannot force a hospital to stay open, especially if doing so might risk the quality of care delivered for the safety of the patients.” Instead, said Goldstein, “It is our responsibility—our obligation—to see that access to essential health services for the community is preserved when Nashoba Valley Medical Center closes its doors.” In a brief exchange with the Press, he said the agency had few tools. While Steward is breaking state law by giving less than 120 days notice of the closing, the state’s only recourse is to fine them. “But they’re in bankruptcy,” he said.
One concern raised by Eldridge and others is the lack of a closure plan from either Steward or DPH. “My frustration with the administration is that there's been a lot of focus on blaming Steward—and Steward deserves almost all the blame—however you can't also then turn around and say, well, there's no closure plan because we're waiting for Steward to write the plan.”
If the closure can’t be prevented, he said, “We need that closure plan, and we need to explain it to everyone here, to the constituents, the tens of thousands of people who live in the Nashoba Valley in North Central Massachusetts. What is the plan?”
The hearing was one of several, both virtual and in person, organized by the state’s DPH, which must assess the impact of the closure and issue a report. The number of attendees exceeded the 450-person capacity of the room, and some had to be turned away. The room was filled with members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association and Service Employees International Union 1199, some of whom brought children and whose red and purple T-shirts brought color to the packed assemblage.
The meeting grew heated at times. Steward’s chief medical officer for its northern region hospitals was repeatedly booed as he delivered a statement at the start of the meeting. There were shouts of “Shame,” “Do your job,” or “It’s a rainy day,” a reference to the state’s $8.1 billion rainy day fund that some speakers said should be used as “bridge money” to keep the hospital open while a buyer is sought.
Ayer Town Manager Robert Pontbriand received a standing ovation after a rousing speech in which he lambasted the administration for not working with the towns. “It’s been crickets,” he said. “Do what is right. It's hard. It's going to cost money. But here's the good news: We're all here to work with you.”
Meanwhile, the nurses and other workers at Nashoba have been given notice that their employment ends Aug. 31. The next battle will be to ensure that employees receive the paid time off and severance pay to which they are contractually entitled.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.