Haverhill

Holy Family Allied Health Professionals Vote 46-5 for Union Representation

By |

Allied health professionals—lab technicians, physical therapists, pharmacists and others in similar professions—who work at the two Holy Family Hospital campuses are on track to be represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association. Eligible employees voted 46-5 Wednesday in favor of collective bargaining. In all, 76 employees were eligible to vote. Physical therapist David Matthews said he voted in favor of union representation because he felt his wages and benefits have lagged during the period when Steward Health Care owned the two campuses and that the new owner, Lawrence General Hospital, hasn’t taken their concerns seriously. Lawrence General purchased the two campuses last October after Steward filed for bankruptcy.

Haverhill

Holy Family Hospital’s Allied Health Professionals Consider Union

By |

Lab technicians, physical therapists, pharmacists and other so-called “allied health professionals” who work at the two Holy Family Hospital campuses are voting Wednesday on whether to form a collective bargaining unit at the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The 76 workers have been meeting with representatives of the union for the last two months, according to Massachusetts Nurses Association spokesperson Joe Markman. The Massachusetts Nurses Association already represents registered nurses at the two Holy Family campuses, as well as at Lawrence General Hospital, the new owner of the Methuen and Haverhill hospitals. The National Labor Relations Board is running the election. The vote to unionize follows the purchase of the two Holy Family campuses by Lawrence General Hospital with state financial assistance last October after the previous owner, Steward Health Care, declared bankruptcy.

Haverhill

Lawrence General Seeks to Eliminate Emergency Hospital Beds in Haverhill

By |

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.

Health

Greater Lawrence Family Health Center Celebrates 45th Anniversary; Posthumously Honors Keller

By |

Greater Lawrence Family Health Center Wednesday night celebrated the 45th anniversary of its founding in Lawrence and subsequent growth into Methuen in Haverhill, with a posthumous tribute to one its founders. Those attending the 45th anniversary gala learned more about Rev. James P. Keller, a Presbyterian minister and activist for peace and social justice, who initially founded what became the Health Center in a five or six room house that formerly served as a funeral home. Keller died last November at age 93, but his children—sons James Jr. and Jonathan and daughter Christian—accepted the Health Center’s Making a Difference Award. The elder son, reading from his father’s memoir, “Three Islands in My Life and Ministry,” explained his father’s interest stemmed from the poor receiving care only from a hospital emergency room. “This is not a satisfactory arrangement because there can be no continuity of care for an individual or family with a rotation of physicians who take only a turn covering the emergency room,” he explained.

Haverhill

Haverhill Pavilion Receives Special Permit for, What Were Deemed ‘Needed,’ Behavioral Care Beds

By |

Haverhill Pavilion won a special permit from the Haverhill City Council Tuesday night to proceed with plans to construct an addition for a 24-bed geriatric behavioral health unit at the hospital at 76 Summer St. Robert D. Harb, the Haverhill attorney representing the hospital’s owner, Acadia Health Care of New Jersey, said the need for the additional mental health beds is well documented. In a letter to the Council, he said Haverhill Pavilion is running at 97.1% capacity and “deflected” 1,354 referrals in 2024. The state Department of Mental Health has already approved the addition, he noted. “Do we have a fiscal impact on the city?

Business Bulletin

Sebasky, 30-Year Health Pro, Joins Lawrence General, Holy Family Hospitals’ Board

By |

Greg Sebasky—who has worked three decades in healthcare, technology, and education—was recently named to the board of trustees Lawrence General Hospital and Holy Family Hospital. Sebasky currently serves as chairman of the board at Ascend Learning, a provider of online educational content, simulations and analytics for healthcare professionals, following his recent retirement as the company’s chief executive officer. He previously served as chairman of Philips North America and executive vice president for Philips Healthcare. “His exceptional leadership and deep experience in healthcare, technology and education will be a valuable addition to the board. We look forward to his insights and innovative thinking as we continue to serve our communities with high-quality, compassionate care,” Rosemarie Day, chair of the boards of trustees, said of Sebasky.

Haverhill

Lemieux, HHS Grad and Cancer Survivor, Raises $12,665 at Boston Marathon

By |

The big winners of Monday’s 129th Boston Marathon may well be those benefitting from research and development into new cancer treatments supported by such fundraisers as Haverhill High School graduate Jillian Lemieux. Lemieux, a lifelong runner and cancer survivor turned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute employee, was among the 30,000 runners that turned out for the event. The record she beat was her own, raising $12,665 for the cause. Last fall, she told WHAV about her motivation. “I received six months of treatment at Dana-Farber,” she said.

Beacon Hill News

Massachusetts Cabinet Secretary Warns of ‘Enormous’ MassHealth Cuts

By |

By Colin A. Young

Having spent her roughly 100-mile drive listening to the national news Monday morning and then hearing her colleagues at a budget hearing dig into the policy and finance specifics of crucial state programs, Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa got a sinking feeling. “I feel like we’re trying to budget on quicksand at the moment,” the Northampton Democrat said as she and the rest of the Joint Ways and Means Committee gathered to review Gov. Maura Healey’s fiscal year 2026 budget plan with the part of state government that could face the deepest and most immediate consequences of looming federal shifts, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. While Beacon Hill continues its usual budget process, President Donald Trump has been moving to reshape the federal government and its spending, with all signs pointing to disruptions in the relationship between D.C. and states like Massachusetts. Medicaid is in the crosshairs of a pursuit for trillions of dollars in tax cuts and federal spending reductions over the next decade, and that could have massive impacts on MassHealth. The state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program system affords health care coverage to about two million Bay Staters and brings about $15 billion of federal revenue to Massachusetts.