An ombudsman urged that the parties involved in the Steward Health Care bankruptcy hearing keep Nashoba Valley Medical Center's emergency department open for an additional 30 days, or at least provide funding so an ambulance could be stationed outside the closed emergency room for at least a week after it closes this Saturday morning.
The state, Steward Health Care, and the company's lenders and creditors need"to take action to lessen the devastation" that the looming closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer"is having, and will continue have," on people who live in the central Massachusetts region, the expert monitoring patient care at the bankrupt company's hospitals urged in a new report.
She said the closure of Nashoba Valley will turn a five-minute trip to an emergency department into a half-hour drive, effectively taking EMS workers out of service for an additional 45 minutes during the return trip. She said area EMS providers have staffed the area"for short trips for emergency care," counting on access to Nashoba Valley's ER.
"I've been talking to the fire chiefs in Nashoba Valley and surrounding towns for weeks now. We're thinking through ways that we can support emergency medical services and pre-hospital care, talking to hospitals in the area — Emerson Hospital, UMass and Health Alliance. So I think we all have the same goal, which is support pre-hospital care and emergency medical services," he said.
"I am cognizant of the myriad of issues in these cases and the various stakeholders’ desires to maximize their recoveries. Notwithstanding, the Nashoba closure is devastating to the community and the patients who rely on this hospital and the ED. The patient population served by Nashoba played no role in the decisions that ultimately lead to the closure of Nashoba," she said.
Kennedy said there has been interest among other hospital operators in taking over at least some of Nashoba Valley's services, but said his sense is they want to wait for the facility to close pursuant to the bankruptcy process before potentially being revived. He said the Legislature could have a few opportunities to consider funding related to a Nashoba Valley revival if or when it takes up a stalled economic development bill and a pending supplemental budget.
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