Governor's office says it's in talks to re-open Nashoba Valley as 'urgent care' with UMass; no such plans on table for Carney

Hours before it is scheduled to close and lock its doors to the public, Carney Hospital was a bevy of activity this afternoon with patients, employees and other people coming and going alongside public health officials from both state and city government.

City Councillor John FitzGerald, who has been a vocal proponent for keeping the Carney open in some capacity to serve the emergency needs of Dorchester and Mattapan, was also on the scene and engaged in intense conversations inside and outside the facility with staff from the Healey and Wu administrations.

After touring the hospital with state officials, FitzGerald told the Reporter: "This building is being shut down tomorrow and we all know that and there's nothing we can do to stop that. However, we want to get this place back up-and-running in some way, shape or form as a healthcare facility that is great for what the community needs."

Councillor John FitzGerald meeting with city, state, and private leaders at the entrance to the Carney Hospital on Friday afternoon - a meeting agreed to by State Sec. Kate Walsh to hear FitzGerald's ideas for the hospital's productive future.

Dr. Gregg Meyer, DPH’s Incident Command Manager, spoke to the leaders in front of the Carney on Friday. He said the hospital just doesn't represent the needs of the community, and they need to figure out what the needs are. He is the head of the state incident command system for the Steward Health transitions.

On Friday afternoon, the Healey-Driscoll administration issued a press release outlining "steps it is taking to support impacted communities and hospital staff" at Carney and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, which is also set to close tomorrow.

“We’ve heard the concerns raised by the communities and staff impacted by Steward’s plans to close Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center. We share their frustration – Massachusetts communities should never have been put in this position,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “Our teams have been preparing for this, and we will ensure that residents continue to have access to high-quality medical care and that all staff is connected to new employment opportunities at other facilities.”

The statement also said that the governor's office "is engaged in ongoing discussions with UMass Memorial Health and other providers in the region with the goal of reimagining future care on the Nashoba Valley Medical Center campus," adding that UMass Memorial Health "is considering alternative possibilities, such as converting the hospital’s emergency room into an urgent care facility."

"While these discussions are in the early stages, there will be continued collaboration with UMass to attempt to provide an alternative healthcare option for residents."

There is no mention in the governor's press release about any such contingency plan for Carney Hospital.

Councillor FitzGerald, reacting to the new development with Nashoba and UMass, said: "That's great. Great for the town of Ayer and for the desert they had out there. It just begs the question, and I think that's what we were working on today, the 'why not us?'

"It's a little more difficult, and I understand that, but I'd like to see the same happen here."

Workers from several moving companies removed non-perishable food and hospital supplies that were left inside the Carney on Friday, while state, city, and private leaders met in front of the entrance. The goods were taken to other open hospitals in the former Steward system.

The Reporter observed patients and other members of the public entering and exiting the building on Friday, which is slated to close tomorrow, Sat., Aug. 31. Meanwhile, at the afternoon shift change, long-time Carney staffers hugged, shed tears and said they’re good-byes. Two nurses driving out of the main parking lot waved to everyone on the sidewalk and, seemingly, to the hospital itself.

"Bye Carney, bye forever," one of the nurses said as they drove up Dorchester Avenue.

Members of the public even came to say their good-byes, including Noreen Keely who stopped in to thank doctors and support staff who had helped her when her father died, and when she went through medical troubles. She and a friend even ended up leaving with one of the pictures that had been on the wall of the front lobby, with permission, she said.

"I grew up here, got treated here, and my father died here," she said, noting that she followed her doctor from Carney to St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton. "There are memories here I had to acknowledge, and even though I had tragedies here, there were a lot of good times and people that helped me. I came by to say thank you to them before they left. They helped me when I needed it. You have to say thank you and that's what's on my mind today."

Noreen Keely, center, came by the Carney Hospital to thank all of the doctors and staff that helped her and comforted her dad before he died there. She said they were giving away the pictures off the wall, and so she and her friend took one of the pieces that hung in the lobby.

Steward Health Care, the now-bankrupt owner of the Carney, has set-up a “patient assistance phone line" staffed 7 a.m.-7p.m., Monday-Friday to answer questions like "where is my doctor?" and "how do I get my medical records." The number is 617-789-2228.

A Steward worker who answered the line on Friday morning said that the emergency department remained open today, but recommended that the public dial 9-1-1 rather than coming to the Carney’s ED in its final hours of operations.

The Reporter also observed other activities at the Carney, including food products being loaded onto trucks to take off premises. There was also signage visible inviting Carney employees to apply for jobs at other health care facilities, including South Shore Hospital.

There were even protest songs being sung at the front entrance. Zanna Diosa has been coming daily to sing her original song, 'Save the Carney, Save our Sirens,' to comfort workers and patients faced with the impending closure.

"So if the streets are silent, and there’s nowhere else to go. It’s time to save the sirens, that seek to save our souls. Save our sirens, save our souls. Save the Carney," she sang.

Zanna Diosa, a Carney Hospital patient, sat at the front door to the hospital Friday and sang her protest song, "Save the Carney, Save our Sirens."

Councillor FitzGerald has been among the political leaders speaking out forcefully about keeping the Carney in operation, despite the Healey administration's acquiescence to Steward Health Care's push to close the facility.

At a State House rally held Wednesday, FitzGerald said: "All we're asking is for a fair chance from the governor, from the state, that every other hospital at Steward has gotten that chance, except for us and Nashoba. And we know we have operators willing to come in, and we've got a business model that can show the hospital can be profitable again," FitzGerald said. "So that's all we're asking here today. It's just a fair shot. Give us the opportunity you've given the other hospitals."

He added, to cheers, "We're giving $700 million to keep them open. What's $750?"

-Developing story-

The Reporter's News Editor Seth Daniel contributed reporting to this story, which also references reporting from State House News Service.