‘Take all actions necessary’: Governor demands Steward Health Care provides financial transparency

NORWOOD, Mass. — Representative Stephen Lynch will be touring two Steward hospitals on Wednesday. This comes after Governor Maura Healey asked Steward Health Care to hand over its hospitals to new owners if it doesn’t provide financial transparency and adequate patient care.

Representative Lynch will be touring Norwood Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton with local union members and also some Steward Health Care leadership. Norwood Hospital is closed and still under construction after it flooded nearly four years ago.

Steward just made it public a few months ago it was facing a tough financial situation. As a stopgap measure, Steward announced the closure of a few facilities, but then announced at the beginning of February they found some bridge financing to keep the doors open.  However, Steward hasn’t announced how long that will last.

Back when Governor Healey was an Attorney General, she represented the Center for Health Information and Analysis, demanding Steward provide its financial information. While that case is still tied up in appeals, Governor Healey just wrote a three-page letter, asking that Steward transition its facilities in Massachusetts as soon as possible.

“If appropriate staffing and supply levels cannot be met, we will take all actions necessary -- in consultation with hospital leadership -- to protect patients, including freezing admissions, closing beds, canceling procedures, and transferring patients to other hospitals,” wrote Healey.

A Steward spokesperson responded the health care system has been working closely with state officials in providing financial records and finding a way to provide care for its patients.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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