Current:Home > reviewsMassachusetts governor says there’s nothing she can do to prevent 2 hospitals from closing -WealthRoots Academy
Massachusetts governor says there’s nothing she can do to prevent 2 hospitals from closing
View
Date:2025-04-12 22:39:41
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts has agreed to provide about $30 million to help support the operations of six hospitals that Steward Health Care is trying to turn over to new owners after declaring bankruptcy earlier this year, according to court filings.
The latest update comes as Steward announced Friday that it was closing two hospitals — Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center — because it received no qualified bids for either facility.
In a court filing late Friday, Steward announced it had received a commitment from Massachusetts “to provide approximately $30 million of funding support for the hospitals’ operations as they are transitioned to new operators in the near-term.”
The Dallas-based company also said in the court filing that the company remains steadfast in their goal of doing everything within their power to keep their 31 hospitals open.
In May, Steward said it planned to sell off all its hospitals after announcing that it had filed for bankruptcy protection. The company’s hospitals are scattered across eight states.
The $30 million is meant to ensure that Steward’s hospitals in Massachusetts can continue to operate through the end of August, according to Gov. Maura Healey’s administration. The funding will help make sure patients can continue to access care and workers can keep their jobs until Carney and Nashoba Valley close and the remaining five hospitals are transitioned to new owners.
Carney Hospital is located in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston and Nashoba Valley Medical Center is in Ayer, a town about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Boston.
The payments are advances on Medicaid funds that the state owes Steward and are being provided contingent upon an orderly movement toward new ownership. The $30 million is also contingent on Steward hitting milestones and cannot be used for rental payments, debt service or management fees.
Healey said “not a dime” of the $30 million will go to Steward but will instead help ensure a smooth transition to new ownership.
Asked if there is anything the state can do to keep Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center open — including state receivership — Healey turned the focus back on Steward and embattled CEO Ralph de la Torre.
“It’s Steward’s decision to close these hospitals, there’s nothing that the state can do, that I can do, that I have to power to do, to keep that from happening,” Healey told reporters. “But I’ve also said from the beginning that we are focused on health care.”
She said that focus includes saving the six Steward hospitals which have bidders.
“We are in this situation, and it’s outrageous that we are in this situation, all because of the greed of one individual, Ralph de la Torre, and the management team at Steward,” Healey said. “I know Steward is not trustworthy and that’s why I’ve said from the beginning I want Steward out of Massachusetts yesterday.”
On Thursday, a Senate committee voted to authorize an investigation into Steward’s bankruptcy and to subpoena de la Torre.
The subpoena would compel de la Torre to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee at a hearing on Sept. 12.
A group of Democratic members of Congress, led by Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey, has also sought reassurances that workers at hospitals owned by Steward will have their health care and retirement benefits protected.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Where to Buy Cute Home Decor For Your Dorm or First Apartment If You're on a Budget
- What is a 'fire whirl,' the rare weather phenomenon spotted in a California wildfire
- BNSF train engineers offered paid sick time and better schedules in new deal
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- SUV plows into pedestrians on a busy New York City sidewalk while fleeing from police
- Deputy marshal and second man killed, woman wounded during drug investigation shooting
- 55 million Americans in the South remain under heat alerts as heat index soars
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- California firm to pay $1 million for selling devices to thwart diesel truck smog controls
Ranking
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- How the Trump fake electors scheme became a ‘corrupt plan,’ according to the indictment
- BNSF train engineers offered paid sick time and better schedules in new deal
- Trump indicted by grand jury in special counsel Jack Smith's Jan. 6 investigation
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Wife Sophie Grégoire Separate After 18 Years of Marriage
- Grand Canyon bus rollover kills 1, leaves more than 50 injured
- US man alleged to be white supremacist leader extradited from Romania on riot, conspiracy charges
Recommendation
US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
Toddler dies after grandmother leaves her in hot car for 8 hours
Former Iowa kicker charged in gambling sting allegedly won a bet on the 2021 Iowa-Iowa St game
Trump indicted in 2020 election probe, Fitch downgrades U.S. credit rating: 5 Things podcast
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Foreign nationals evacuate Niger as regional tensions rise
10 pieces of smart tech that make your pets’ lives easier
Erin Foster Responds to Pregnancy Speculation