Saint Vincent required by DPH to make permanent decision on closed beds

PHOTOS/GRANT WELKER Members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association labor union form a picket line during their strike at Saint Vincent Hospital in 2021.

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By Katherine Hamilton

Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester is being ordered by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to make a permanent decision regarding its temporary closure of 100 hospital beds, which have been closed for more than three months now.

In a letter to the hospital’s CEO Carolyn Jackson dated Nov. 23, DPH said it is requiring the hospital to either reopen the beds or hold public hearings regarding closing the beds permanently, but they cannot remain temporarily closed.

The hospital announced in July it was closing the beds due to staffing shortages antagonized by the Saint Vincent nurses’ strike. The strike with the Massachusetts Nurses Association will hit its nine-month mark on Dec. 8.

In the letter, Health and Human Services Acting Commissioner Margret Cooke wrote that, in their most recent call with DPH, the hospital clearly stated there is no plan in place to reopen the beds.

Because of this, DPH is requiring Saint Vincent to begin the essential services process. This process, which occurs when a healthcare facility stops providing a service it is licensed to provide, includes public hearings and plans submitted to the state.

The letter gives the hospital until Friday to submit notice of its intent to close the inpatient beds permanently. The hospital will then be required to follow the essential services closure procedure. If Saint Vincent fails to meet these requirements, it will be fined between $1,000 and $10,000, per the letter.

The hospital declined to comment on the matter.

Earlier this month, state representatives Mary Keefe (D-Worcester) and David LeBoeuf (D-Leicester) called for emergency hearings on the Saint Vincent bed closure.