Expressing uncertainty about the future of safety-net hospitals owned by Steward Health Care, Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said Wednesday that state officials will expand monitoring efforts of all nine facilities by next week in a bid to protect patient safety and quality.

Department of Public Health surveyors added Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Morton Hospital in Taunton to their list of monitoring visits as Steward grapples with major financial problems that have prompted fears about potential facility closures, Goldstein said. Monitors are evaluating staffing, services, supplies and equipment to "assess that the hospital has what it needs and is required to have to deliver safe and high-quality care in each of the facilities," he said.

Goldstein said health officials have already been paying daily visits to St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton, Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Holy Family Hospital in Haverhill, and Holy Family Hospital in Methuen.

"In addition to the monitoring, DPH is investigating any specific quality or safety concern that arises, and we're working with federal regulatory agencies to address issues as appropriate," Goldstein told the Public Health Council Wednesday morning. "We're talking with hospitals and leaders from across Massachusetts, recognizing that what happens at Steward facilities will have impacts on emergency departments, inpatient facilities and ambulatory clinics across the state."

The Boston City Council will convene a special hearing on the impacts of Steward's ongoing crisis on Feb. 22.

-Developing story-