The Holy Family Hospital community at campuses in Haverhill and Methuen gathered Tuesday to celebrate their finalized sale to the nonprofit health care system Lawrence General Hospital — and their escape from the continued financial crisis stoked by former owner Steward Health.
“Just a few months ago, we were on the brink of losing Holy Family Hospital, its facilities, the care it provides, the jobs it sustains and the economic benefits it creates,” said Abha Agrawal, President and CEO of Lawrence General Hospital, at the Haverhill campus ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday.
“The path from this potential disaster of losing care in the valley to the promise of a stable healthcare system has been neither easy nor inexpensive, but we have prevailed because so many people believed in the value of our mission and the critical importance of keeping healthcare local,” she continued.
Lawrence General Hospital finalized the sale transaction of both Holy Family Hospital campuses Tuesday, keeping the hospitals open under new nonprofit ownership.
Other Steward-run hospitals in Massachusetts have not fared so well in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings, which began in May. Both Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center closed in August after no bidders moved to purchase the hospitals.
Other deals for Steward-owned hospitals including St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center, Saint Anne’s Hospital and Morton Hospital are ongoing.
State and local politicians on Tuesday said losing care was not an option for the Haverhill and Methuen communities, speaking to the fight to keep Holy Family Hospital going.
Other hospitals in the Haverhill area are at least half an hour away, Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett said, emphasizing a story in which a young boy getting off a school bus was hit by a drunk driver and survived because he was able to be transported to Holy Family and care quickly.
“I will continue to advocate for Haverhill getting the emergency care that we need here, full fledged, revamped,” said Barrett. “I know (Steward) left you with not much here, from what I gather. And we can only hope they get theirs, but I think we have ours. We have what we wanted.”
But, speakers Tuesday said, the hard part for the hospital is just beginning.
Agrawal cited “tremendous challenges,” including fixing the significant under-investment affecting the quality of care in the facilities and rebuilding trust with the community after the high-profile Steward disaster.
Lawrence General Hospital has already initiated an “extensive integration process” within the hospital locations to prepare for the transition.
“Our immediate goal is to stabilize clinical care, stabilize operations, and then we engage in a dialog with many stakeholders to see how we should envision the healthcare in the valley,” said Agrawal. “The great thing, though, is we collectively are going to drive it, not a corporate owner, somewhere so remote and detached from us. So it will be whatever we all decide to make it.”
