'Parasites who put profits over people': Fall River rallies to save Saint Anne's Hospital

FALL RIVER — Tracy Bishop, an employee of Saint Anne’s Hospital for the past 20 years, said the facility is more than her workplace.

“It’s a family hospital," she said. “My grandparents were here. My children, my husband, my mom. It's so much more than keeping the doors open. It’s a family. It’s a community."

She and a few dozen other people attended an hourlong rally at Kennedy Park across from Saint Anne’s on Thursday afternoon. Workers and their supporters held signs and spoke out strongly, urging new ownership of Steward Health Care facilities in the face of a financial crisis that could close hospitals like Saint Anne's, destabilize patient care for more than 200,000 state residents, and have severe downstream economic effects.

Calculating the loss: What happens if Saint Anne's Hospital closes?

Fall River's rally was one of seven statewide being staged by Our Community Our Hospital, a coalition of groups including healthcare workers and business, community, labor and faith-based organizations. The coalition is advocating for public officials to protect Steward’s nine facilities statewide, and for transparency in the process.

More than one speaker on Thursday noted that Steward is a for-profit healthcare company, and pushed for a nonprofit solution to the crisis.

“I’m outraged that I have to be here because of the greed of a couple of parasites at the top who put profits over people and who are planning to possibly close our community hospitals that are already experiencing bed shortages,” said Brian Dunn of Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “People are already experiencing waits that are too long. This is going to cost people lives.”

How Steward Health Care got in financial trouble, and how it could affect Fall River

In January, a Boston Globe investigation revealed that Steward, one of the largest healthcare companies in the nation with hospitals in Taunton, Brockton, Boston and elsewhere statewide, was found to be $50 million behind in rent to Medical Properties Trust.

In its push for national expansion in the past decade, Steward sold its properties to MPT and leased them back from the company. The debt owed to its landlord is compounded by lawsuits over unpaid bills to vendors.

In February, Steward announced it was entering a financing agreement with lenders to maintain operations and repay debts. If Steward does not meet the agreement’s requirements by the end of April, it could face bankruptcy.

It is unknown if Saint Anne’s Hospital would close. But closure of the century-old hospital could mean the loss of thousands of jobs in and around Fall River, the loss of other supporting jobs, and the loss of millions in tax revenue.

But April Jennison, an organizer with the Coalition for Social Justice, told the crowd that the dire situation isn’t just about finances.

What’s at stake when a hospital closes, she said, "is a new mother experiencing a complicated labor and delivery. Or an elderly grandmother showing symptoms of a stroke. It is that 18-year-old student involved in a potentially fatal car crash -- all of whom need care to save their lives when every second counts.”

Mayor Paul Coogan said he is working with state officials to ensure Saint Anne’s has a future.

“In no way, shape or form should Saint Anne’s close or be reduced in any capacity," he said. “This is a key component to the public health in the city of Fall River and the surrounding towns.”

Hospital emergency rooms already at maximum capacity

Rallies have been held at Morton Hospital in Taunton, Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Carney Hospital in Boston and others.

Another is planned for St. Elizabeth’s in Brighton on Monday, one day before the deadline for Steward’s loan agreement.

Throughout the rally, employees and supporters noted that Steward hospitals serve vulnerable, low-income communities, and are already struggling with a lack of resources and overcrowded emergency rooms.

Jason Burns — president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1314, the union that represents the city’s firefighters, and District 8 vice president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts — said a potential closure of Saint Anne’s would have devastating downstream effects. He said its ER is already at maximum capacity, and worried about firefighters having nowhere to bring patients who need urgent help.

“The idea that we’re even discussing a potential reduction of services is beyond comprehension to me,” Burns said. “We need more services. We need more beds. We need more availability. Stand by our workers, give them the resources they need.

“Keep fighting," he told the crowd. “Stay strong. You will win."

Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Unions rally at Fall River hospital as Steward Health Care in crisis