Quincy Reels at Hearing as Hospital Closure Nears
With Quincy Medical Center on the verge of closing, elected officials, residents, and hospital workers aired their grievances at a Department of Public Health hearing held at Quincy High School Tuesday night.
While many seemed resigned to the closure of the hospital—“I’m not going to be irresponsible and say the Quincy Hospital is going to stay open. That’s not the case,’’ said Quincy Mayor Tom Koch; “I know it’s too late to save Quincy, but I don’t want to see the same thing happen to communities across the state,’’ said 38-year hospital employee Gale Martell—the meeting provided the city the chance to urge DPH to ensure that the city’s healthcare needs are met.
“This community is depending on you not to compound Steward’s failure,’’ Quincy City Councilor Kevin Coughlin told DPH officials. Coughlin said he felt the hospital’s closure was “unacceptable.’’
The hospital’s shuttering was announced last month. Operations are winding down, with the closing expected at the end of this month—though it could stay open as late as Feb. 4. Attorney General Martha Coakley is looking into the legality of the closure, as Steward had agreed to keep the hospital open for seven years when it bought the property in 2011. According to The Patriot Ledger, Coakley’s office announced ahead of the hearing that no decision has been made about whether to take action against Steward.
Steward President Dr. Mark Girard said the for-profit healthcare company, which is owned by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, would continue to serve Quincy with a new urgent care center and specialty clinics, as well as with nearby Steward-owned hospitals Carney Hospital and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, in Dorchester and Brighton respectively.
But some at the hearing said they were less than convinced these services would prove adequate. City Councilor Margaret Laforest said the city’s geography would make it difficult for some residents to reach certain parts of what Steward is calling the “Quincy Community Care Network.’’ DPH officials said they will decide within 15 days whether Steward can go forward with the closure.
Steward has said the majority of Quincy Medical’s patients in recent years have sought outpatient services, and that competition from other local hospitals—as well as cuts to Medicare and Medicaid—have made the operation financially unsustainable, with the hospital losing $20 million last year and on track to do so again in 2014.
About 545 jobs are expected to be lost as a result of the closure. Steward says it is working to get many of those employees into new positions throughout the company, and is offering buy-out packages to others.
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