TAUNTON — Teams and activists are taking to the streets to rally in assist of saving Steward Well being Care hospitals in Taunton, Brockton, Fall River and elsewhere amid the embattled firm’s ongoing monetary disaster.
A number of group rallies will probably be happening over the following couple of weeks throughout the area in assist of preserving these hospitals open, beginning with Taunton’s Morton Hospital.
“We’d like a hospital in our metropolis. We’ve already closed amenities elsewhere, and the overflow can’t be absorbed by others,” mentioned Jamie Kelley, lead organizer for the Morton Hospital Group Rally.
When and the place is the rally?
The rally, which is able to happen on Tuesday, April 23 from 3:45 p.m. to five:30 p.m. on the Taunton Inexperienced, is one among seven being organized by the “Our Group Our Hospital” marketing campaign — a coalition of residents, healthcare employees and group, labor and faith-based organizations served by hospitals at present owned by Steward Well being Care.
The Massachusetts Nursing Affiliation (MNA) is among the quite a few organizations a part of this coalition, at present dealing with outreach.
“The lack of any of those amenities will ship a devastating blow to all the well being care infrastructure within the Commonwealth, notably to among the most susceptible and marginalized sufferers and households. Sufferers will probably be subjected to harmful delays in care, be pressured to journey longer distances for care, and for a lot of, to go with out care altogether,” mentioned a written assertion from the MNA concerning the “Our Group, Our Hospital” marketing campaign.
Plan to stabilize MortonSteward: Bridge funding will stabilize hospitals, together with Brockton, Taunton, Fall River
In keeping with the MNA the hospitals within the area owned by Steward Well being Care are “among the many largest employers of their communities,” using greater than 16,000 employees and caregivers.
“This can be a metropolis of over 60,000 folks. There’s no purpose to not have a group hospital,” mentioned Kelley, including closing Morton Hospital is particularly not truthful for the various residents who “can’t simply get in a automobile and go to Boston,” with lots of these hospitals “already saying we are able to’t deal with the capability.”
Kelley added on the Morton Hospital rally on the Taunton Inexperienced there will probably be constituents from a number of native and regional organizations, together with The Taunton Range Community, South Coast LGBTQ+ Community and T.R.U.E. Range, in addition to medical employee unions and faith-based teams.
Non-public fairness ‘looted’ hospitalsNon-public-equity backed well being care ‘kills folks,’ Warren says at U.S. Senate listening to
When are rallies in different communities?
Along with the Taunton rally on April 23, rallies may also be happening throughout the area on the next dates:
- Brockton: Wednesday, April 24, Good Samaritan Hospital Group Discussion board, Keating Corridor, 80 Perkins Ave., Brockton, 6:30 p.m.
- Methuen: Wednesday, April 24, Holy Household Hospitals Group Rally, 194-274 Berkeley St., Methuen, 3 p.m.
- Haverhill: Wednesday, April 24, Holy Household Hospitals Group Rally, Lincoln Avenue and Brown Road, Haverhill, 4:30 p.m.
- Fall River: Thursday, April 25, Saint Anne’s Hospital Group Rally, Kennedy Park, 132 Bradford Ave., Fall River, 3:30 p.m.
- Boston: Thursday, April 25, Carney Hospital Group Discussion board, St. Gregory’s Auditorium, 2214 Dorchester Ave., Boston, 6:30 p.m.
- Brighton: Monday, April 29, St. Elizabeth’s Group Discussion board, in entrance of the hospital, 736 Cambridge St., Brighton, 3 p.m.