Steward Health Care to Close Stoughton Hospital; Says Move Helps ‘Safeguard’ Holy Family

The Dallas-based owner of Holy Family Hospital, with campuses in Methuen and Haverhill, plans to close its Stoughton rehabilitation hospital due to multi-million-dollar losses. Steward Health Care’s decision to close New England Sinai Acute Long-Term Care and Rehabilitation Hospital by early April, company officials say, will help and not harm its Merrimack Valley hospitals. “In fact, the difficult decision to close NESH was made specifically to safeguard the strength of operations of other Steward hospitals, including ours, and protect our standard of care,” Holy Family Hospital President Craig A. Jesiolowski told staff Wednesday by email. “Holy Family will continue to serve the families of the Merrimack Valley and we will continue to ensure we can meet the demands of the health care industry as it continues to change.”

Steward said in a press release this week, “Nearly 75% of Steward hospital patients are public pay (Medicare and Medicaid) which chronically underpay, sometimes at rates less than the cost of delivering services. As a result of these chronic low reimbursement rates, Steward has lost $22 million from NESH operations and cannot afford to keep the facility open.

DiZoglio Effort to Force Audit of Legislature Advances with Report of Collecting 100,000 Signatures

Chris Lisinski, State House News Service. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio and her hodgepodge of political allies took a major step toward asking voters for the authority to probe the legislature, announcing they gathered enough signatures to remain on track for a 2024 ballot question. The ballot question campaign backed by the Methuen Democrat said this week it collected signatures from more than 100,000 registered voters, significantly more than the 74,574 certified signatures required to be filed with local election officials by the end of the day Wednesday. “Our campaign resonates with the people of Massachusetts because they want our leaders to fix the numerous, simultaneous crises our Commonwealth is facing—whether that’s in housing, healthcare, transportation, mental health, addiction or others,” DiZoglio said in a statement circulated by the ballot question campaign. “Beacon Hill cannot continue its closed-door, opaque operations with so much at stake.

Democratic Party Insiders Back DiZoglio’s Quest to Audit Legislature

Party insiders are bucking Beacon Hill’s Democratic leadership in backing Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s quest to audit the legislature, including any court action required to achieve the goal. The Democratic State Committee on a unanimous voice vote accepted a resolution last Wednesday night backing the Methuen Democrat’s efforts to hold the legislature accountable. The resolution states the party “endorses the state auditor’s initiatives, including any necessary legal action against any impediments to their audit efforts.”

For months, House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen E. Spilka have resisted DiZoglio’s audit attempts, arguing she lacks the authority under state law—and that the information she’s seeking is available for public review or is already audited by other entities. The diverse committee is composed of 400 Democrats from throughout the state, and about half participated in the hybrid meeting held at First Parish Dorchester, a MassDems spokesman said. Under party rules, members are not required to disclose conflicts of interests ahead of voting because resolutions are non-binding, the spokesman said.

Nurses, Health Care Lobbyists Press Legislators on Joining Nurse Licensure Compact

Nurses and health care lobbyists encouraged lawmakers Tuesday to allow Massachusetts to join a 20-year-old interstate compact, pitching it as a strategy to tackle the state’s nursing shortage, boost access to telehealth and streamline providers’ ability to care for patients across state lines. The state’s potential entry to the compact is addressed this session in proposals from Sen. Barry R. Finegold, among others. Nicole Livanos, director of state affairs for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, said it would save time and money for nurses who must currently hold multiple licenses if they are looking to practice in Massachusetts and other states. “In order to get a multistate license, you have to meet 11 uniform license requirements, so we know that those represent some of the highest licensure requirements across the country, including a criminal background check, passing the NCLEX (exam), graduating from an approved program, and having no active discipline,” Livanos told the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. Through the compact, Livanos said Massachusetts nursing students would gain flexibility over where they choose to live and practice after earning their degrees here.

State Cites 72% Increase in Student Absenteeism Since Pandemic; Begins Awareness Campaign

The state education commissioner is calling for “all hands on deck” to deal with a 72% increase in chronic student absenteeism between 2019 and 2023 and is ponying up $4 million to school districts to better track attendance and provide students opportunities to make up work they miss. State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley blames the rise in absenteeism on “the break in routine of school-going culture during the pandemic.” All grades have absenteeism rates well above pre-pandemic levels, though elementary schools have been hit the hardest. Among younger students, the rate of those missing more than 10% of class time, the chronic absenteeism threshold, has more than doubled since before the pandemic. “Our definition of 10% of absenteeism is not random. There’s a reason for that, it’s because studies have pretty clearly shown that by the time you’ve missed 10% of your schooling, you are going to experience academic impacts, in addition to all the other losses,” Board of Education member Michael Moriarty said Tuesday.

Langley-Adams Library Offers In-Person and Virtual Presentation on Obituary Writing

Groveland’s Langley-Adams Library is putting on a hybrid presentation by James R. Hagerty on his book “Yours Truly: An Obituary Writer’s Guide to Telling Your Story.”

The free talk takes place Monday, Jan. 9, from 7-8 p.m., and shown on the big screen at the Langley-Adams library, 185 Main St., Groveland, or online from home. Hagerty has worked as an editor, reporter and bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal and the International Herald Tribune in London, Hong Kong, Brussels, Paris, New York and Atlanta. Registration is required. To register, click here.

Haverhill High School Drama Club Presents Two, One-Act Plays Jan. 13-14

The Haverhill High School Drama Club presents two one-act plays during upcoming performances. The shows take place Friday, Jan 13, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 14, at 2 and 7 p.m., at Haverhill High School, 137 Monument St., Haverhill. The first show is a comedy called “Men on Boats,” following 10 explorers in 1869 setting off to chart the Green and Colorado rivers. The second show, “Completely, Absolutely, Normal” is a series of scenes following LGBTQ+ teens.

Langley-Adams Library Invites Three Authors to Discuss ‘Irish Coffee Murder’ Book

Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross are visiting Groveland’s Langley-Adams Library t to discuss their book, “Irish Coffee Murder.”

The talk happens Monday, Jan. 23, from 7-8 p.m., online, or at the Langley-Adams Library, 185 Main St., Groveland. According to the authors, “You don’t need to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day in Maine, where the chilly March weather offers the perfect excuse to curl up with an Irish coffee.”

Special guest monitor Larissa Ackerman of Kensington Publishing will also be in attendance. Registration is required at langleyadamslib.org.