Editor’s Analysis: Lawrence General Hospital’s apparent leadership chaos and ongoing communication missteps is doing little to build confidence among elected leaders, employees and the public in Haverhill and Methuen.
This is not a private matter since millions in public dollars were placed in peril when the former Steward hospitals went under Lawrence General’s umbrella last October.
Lawrence General claims it seeks to be, in its words, a “regional healthcare system,” but has recklessly remained Lawrence-centric in deeds, words and outreach with targeted news leaks and other irresponsible behaviors while leaving those in adjacent cities in the dark.
State Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh, the hospital board and legislators may well have to use the bully pulpit to rein in unhelpful conduct that has been contrary to reasonable public policy.
WHAV is calling attention to Lawrence General Hospital’s selective outreach and not its hospital management decisions.
Reaction to a plan to closed general hospital beds at Holy Family Hospital’s Haverhill campus is being met with mixed reactions by Haverhill officials.
Under a plan advanced by its new owner, Holy Family Hospital Haverhill will retain full emergency services locally as well as inpatient behavioral health, hyperbaric medicine and wound care. But any emergency department patients requiring admission will be taken to another hospital.
Lawrence General Hospital interim CEO Diana Richardson told WHAV “Emergency department patients who require admission would be transferred to either Holy Family Methuen, to Lawrence General or to a tertiary care hospital via our own ambulances as is the case with most patients already.”
Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett said she first got wind of the plan during a meeting with Richardson about a month ago, but did not have specifics until Wednesday night.
“Obviously they are looking at their whole operation, figuring out rather than duplicate services in three different hospitals, to concentrate services depending on where their strengths were at their different facilities,” the mayor told WHAV. Barrett added she is “happy we still have a hospital” and that its emergency room is “better than the emergency room we’ve had in the last 20 years.” Barrett said she understands the emergency room may be expanded in the fall and is also happy 35 workers will be offered other jobs.
Haverhill City Council President Thomas J. Sullivan and Ward 4 City Councilor Melissa J. Lewandowski, in whose district the Haverhill hospital is located, told WHAV they received no advance notice.
Richardson argues the change will have little impact on the community because so few patients are currently being cared for as inpatients in Haverhill. She said while the hospital is licensed to operate 59 licensed beds, only eight to 10 patients are filled daily. The 35 employees who otherwise would lose their current jobs will be offered positions within the system.
The state Department of Public Health must approve the proposed change, which would not go into effect until Oct. 1. Richardson noted, prior to making any changes in the Holy Family Hospital license, the Department of Public Health must hold public hearings.
State Sen. Pavel M. Payano said he is monitoring the situation.
“I’m closely following the proposed changes to Lawrence General Hospital’s Haverhill campus.” Payano said. “We are constantly advocating for patients and workers, and I’m staying in touch with stakeholders to ensure the community’s needs are front and center. I’m hopeful that with continued collaboration, we can protect access to care and ensure workers are treated with respect throughout this process.”
Lewandowski said she is happy to hear emergency room services will remain, adding that she, too, was not told the changes were in the offing.
“What is most important to me is that residents will be able to get emergency services when they need them so I am happy about that,” Lewandowski said. “I am also glad to hear the ambulatory services, radiology and labs will continue to be available because these are the services that impact residents on a day-to-day basis.”
Lewandowski said she is also pleased to hear no employees would lose their jobs.
With the help of state financial support Lawrence General purchased the two Holy Family campuses for $28 million from bankrupt Steward Health Care in October 2024 after an aggressive lobby campaign by the Haverhill community to keep the local hospital open.
Richardson said the move to shutter its general medical beds doesn’t suggest that Haverhill will eventually lose the operation. She said state and local leaders were consulted about the changes through its Eastern Merrimack Valley workgroup.
“We see our Haverhill campus as a vibrant site of health care delivery, as a part of an integrated system of care for the region centered on the needs of our patients,” Richardson said. “By thoughtfully redeploying and investing in services where and when they are most needed, we are responding to the evolving needs of the community and building a system that is sustainable now and into the future.”
She said that hospital officials are considering developing a comprehensive sleep medicine center on the campus.