After weeks of claiming that she could “do nothing” to alter the fate of the imperiled Steward hospitals, Gov. Maura Healey last Friday announced that her administration would seize control of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton and turn over its operations to Boston Medical Center (BMC), which — she claims— will also buy and take control of Brockton’s Good Samaritan Hospital. It’s all part of a state intervention to prevent the closure of multiple Steward Health Care-owned facilities across the state
Her plan would “not impact Carney or Nashoba Valley hospitals, which,” Healey said, “will close after not receiving qualified bids.” And yet, through her extraordinary actions, Gov. Healey has opened up a new path that could provide a way forward for Dorchester’s community hospital. Within minutes of her press conference, powerful voices within city and state government were calling on Healey to extend her intervention to include Carney and Nashoba Valley.

State Senator Liz Miranda told the Reporter: “Now, we’ve seen the administration broker these deals, demonstrating strong leadership and utilizing eminent domain. Let’s do it again to save Carney Hospital!” said Miranda.

Her colleague Sen. Nick Collins, who has led the charge for months on this issue, was even more precise: “With the recent announcement of the $600 million tobacco settlement reached by the Attorney General just days ago, it is clear we have the money to save our community hospitals,” he said.

Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune praised Healey’s actions, but urged her to use “equally strong and similar measures for the Carney Hospital.” Her colleague Julia Mejia, who lives in Dorchester, had this sharp critique: “The decision to take Saint Elizabeth’s by eminent domain while leaving Carney Hospital out of this equation is deeply concerning and frankly unacceptable.”

Gov. Healey might have been even more interested to hear from both members of Congress who represent Boston – Stephen F. Lynch and Ayanna Pressley. On Saturday, they issued a joint statement that explicitly called on Healey to “move with the same level of urgency to keep Carney Hospital in Dorchester open as well.”

The reality is that —despite the governor’s announcements on Friday— the Steward “deal” remains subject to the approvals of creditors and a bankruptcy judge in Texas. The Commonwealth still faces the very real prospect of a health care catastrophe, with several more hospitals at risk of sudden closures.

The governor should immediately convene a task force of public health experts to hone in on both Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center— with an eye towards revisiting the market of potential operators who could emerge in the new light of state intervention.

Healey and her team should insist that Boston Medical Center – which was until recently led by the governor’s Health and Human Services chief Kate Walsh – offer a full explanation for their refusal, to date, to acquire or operate Carney. BMC’s current leadership should come back to the table, along with any other potential operators who might be in play given the state’s new-found willingness to exercise land-taking powers and additional subsidies.

The Healey administration, to date, has failed to protect the health and well-being of the people in Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, and Roxbury, along with other communities like Quincy. The governor should listen to her colleagues in government and initiate steps to seize Carney and Nashoba by eminent domain while simultaneously assembling a task force to identify and prepare new operators for both hospitals.

There is no time to waste.