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Rallies to save Steward Health Care hospitals begin in Taunton

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TAUNTON – Groups and activists are taking to the streets to unite in support of saving Steward Health Care hospitals in Taunton, Brockton, Fall River and elsewhere amid the embattled company’s ongoing financial crisis.

There will be several community meetings across the region in the coming weeks in support of keeping these hospitals open, starting with Morton Hospital in Taunton.

“We need a hospital in our city. We have already closed facilities elsewhere and the overflow cannot be absorbed by others,” said Jamie Kelley, lead organizer of the Morton Hospital Community Rally.

When and where is the rally?

The meeting, which will take place on Tuesday, April 23 from 3.45pm to 5.30pm on Taunton Green, is one of seven organized by the ‘Our Community Our Hospital’ campaign – a coalition of residents, health and community, labor and faith-based organizations served by hospitals currently owned by Steward Health Care.

The Massachusetts Nursing Association (MNA) is one of several organizations that are part of this coalition and are currently conducting outreach.

“The loss of any of these facilities will deal a devastating blow to the entire healthcare infrastructure in the Commonwealth, especially some of the most vulnerable and marginalized patients and families. Patients will be exposed to dangerous delays in care, will be forced to travel longer distances for care, and for many, will have to go without care altogether,” said a written statement from the MNA on the campaign “Our Community, our hospital’.

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According to the MNA, Steward Health Care-owned hospitals in the region are “among the largest employers in their communities,” with more than 16,000 employees and caregivers.

“This is a city with more than 60,000 inhabitants. There’s no reason not to have a community hospital,” Kelley said, adding that closing Morton Hospital is especially unfair to the many residents who “can’t just get in the car and go to Boston,” while many of those hospitals “although we say we cannot handle the capacity.”

Kelley added that the Morton Hospital meeting on the Taunton Green will feature members from multiple local and regional organizations including The Taunton Diversity Network, South Coast LGBTQ+ Network and TRUE Diversity, as well as medical staff unions and faith-based groups .

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When are there meetings in other communities?

In addition to the Taunton Rally on April 23, rallies will also take place across the region on the following dates:

  • Brockton: Wednesday, April 24, Good Samaritan Hospital Community Forum, Keating Hall, 80 Perkins Ave., Brockton, 6:30 p.m.
  • Methuen: Wednesday, April 24, Holy Family Hospitals Community Rally, 194-274 Berkeley St., Methuen, 3 p.m.
  • Haverhill: Wednesday, April 24, Holy Family Hospitals Community Rally, Lincoln Avenue and Brown Street, Haverhill, 4:30 p.m.
  • Autumn River: Thursday, April 25, Saint Anne’s Hospital Community Rally, Kennedy Park, 132 Bradford Ave., Fall River, 3:30 p.m.
  • Boston: Thursday, April 25, Carney Hospital Community Forum, St. Gregory’s Auditorium, 2214 Dorchester Ave., Boston, 6:30 p.m.
  • Brighton: Monday, April 29, St. Elizabeth’s Community Forum, in front of the hospital, 736 Cambridge St., Brighton, 3 p.m.

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