The office of Gov. Maura Healey said Friday that the embattled Steward Health Care system has to get out of Massachusetts.
“The financial information that Steward provided this week continues to be incomplete and insufficient. What Steward must do from this point forward is clear – complete an orderly transition out of Massachusetts", said the governor's office in a statement Friday.
Elected officials have been pressuring Steward, the owner of nine health care facilities across the state, including Carney Hospital in Dorchester, to turn over its financial records. But so far, the Dallas-based company has failed to do so.
The for-profit health care system is reportedly $50 million dollars behind on its rent. And employees say Steward is not paying their vendors, so they’ve been short on supplies. They also say construction on the Norwood Hospital that flooded in 2020 has come to a halt because it’s not paying the contractors.
Health care workers here say this financial crisis is taking a toll on patient care.
Earlier this week, Senator Warren blamed private equity for stepping in years ago, stripping Steward Health of its assets and leaving behind a shell of a hospital system.
“For the CEO to sit offshore on his yacht and for the private investors who already took away literally hundreds of millions of dollars while people suffer here in this commonwealth is not. It is important the first we make sure everybody’s got the health care coverage that they need but also that the people who have wrecked this institution are held accountable for it.”
Many are concerned that if Steward shuts down locations like Carney, other hospitals in the city won’t be able to handle the influx of patients.
Meanwhile, the financial crisis are showing even in the little things such as the shortage of supplies due to not paying their vendors. Workers at two Boston locations say patients have already stopped coming in assuming hospitals are closed or are concerned about the care they may receive.
"Sometimes it's difficult to get paper, water, some extension sets for IVs in the emergency room," said a health care worker during a Boston City Council meeting Thursday.
