State Senator: Memorial closure would be ‘tragic’
PAWTUCKET – District 16 State Sen. Elizabeth A. Crowley during the last legislative session was one of the sponsors of a bill that sought to expedite the process for Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island’s merger with Prime Healthcare Foundation.
She watched as the bill was signed into law by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo in July. So to hear the news, that Care New England’s Board of Directors on Monday authorized the termination of the negotiations with Prime over the latter’s planned purchase of the hospital, left her “truly saddened and dismayed.”
“This truly is a sad day for the residents who rely upon Memorial Hospital’s services, the dedicated staff who have provided top-notch care, and the surrounding community as a whole who have had Memorial Hospital to care for and protect their health for over 100 years,” Crowley said on Tuesday. “At the legislative level, we did everything possible to keep Memorial Hospital in operation, including passage earlier this year of legislation to expedite the Hospital Conversion Act process. With this tool in place, it is extremely disappointing that officials were unable to finalize the sale.”
Her shock and disappointment quickly turned to a call for action, though, as she is asking Care New England and Prime to return to the negotiating table to come to an agreement to reverse “this unfortunate decision,” while urging the Rhode Island Department of Health to reject the hospital’s closure.
“When Landmark Medical Center was going to close, a petition was made to the courts not to approve the closure plan, but to put the center into receivership,” Crowley recalled of the 2008 plan for the Woonsocket hospital. “I want my community hospital to be given the same protections as Landmark. Should a return to negotiations fail, I urge the Department of Health to use the Landmark case as a model and to reject this closure plan. I want my community protected. I want these 700 jobs protected. There is too much at stake.”
Care New England’s Board of Directors on Monday night authorized the termination of the negotiations with Prime over the planned purchase of the 294bed community hospital, as CNE officials said that both sides were unable to reach “mutually acceptable terms.”
The board also authorized CNE management to prepare necessary plans and filings with the Rhode Island Department of Health to maintain access to primary care and outpatient services, while closing Memorial’s inpatient units and emergency department.
CNE officials attributed the closure to “chronic financial losses” incurred at the hospital, which they say has been ongoing for the past 10 years. CNE officials said the hospital has averaged a daily input of 15 to 20 patients within the 294-bed hospital, resulting in a $23 million operating loss in the past fiscal year. CNE additionally recorded a $68 million loss from operations in the 2016 fiscal year and is projected to show a $49 million operating loss for the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30.
Crowley’s legislation, which was signed into law by Raimondo, was co-sponsored by Pawtucket State Sens. Donna M. Nesselbush and William J. Conley Jr.
“This is a tragic outcome for the community that utilizes Memorial Hospital and the dedicated workers who selflessly serve the hospital’s patients,” Nesselbush, District 15 State Senator, said. “I join Senator Crowley in calling for the two parties to resume negotiations for the sake of the community’s health and the livelihoods of Memorial Hospital’s staff.”
Conley, a District 18 State Senator and attorney who represented the cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls in 2016 legal action against CNE and Memorial for the proposed closing of the hospital’s birthing center, added: “To say I am disappointed with this decision would be an understatement, especially in light of the efforts Senator Crowley put into keeping Memorial Hospital’s doors open last legislative session.”