All await Boston Regional's fate
Published on January 27th, 1999
STONEHAM, MA - The wait is on and has been for some time now.
Boston Regional Medical Center is presently in a state of limbo, its future a case of speculation for those in the media, patients and even hospital employees.
"I really don't know what's going on right now," Christine Hawrylak, public relations director for the hospital, said Wednesday morning. "They're (hospital administrators) behind closed and locked doors right now."
Hawrylak did want to put to rest rumors which started when the story hit Boston media outlets on Sunday, however, despite reports that the hospital had closed its doors, services remain mostly unaffected, the hospital spokeswoman stated.
The only change has come in long-term care. Patients who are expected to require long-term care have been transported to surrounding hospitals for the present time.
"A lot of older people are worried about what's going on here. Most all services continue to be provided here," she stated. "We're fully staffed."
For the past four days, however, there has been serious doubt about the immediate future of the hospital. On Monday, BRMC issued a release stating that inpatient admissions would be limited and ambulance traffic diverted "while financial options to avert a closing of the hospital are being explored."
In the statement, Charles Ricks, CEO and president of Boston Regional, said, "Patient care continues to be our top priority and the hospital is working in collaboration and cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to assure that quality of care is maintained."
The apparent cause of the hospital's tenuous situation is the hospital's prospective buyer's decision to pull out of a deal which would have solved Boston Regional's serious financial issues.
In February of 1998, a deal with Doctor's Community Health Care Corporation of Paradise Valley, Arizona appeared imminent. Since that time, however, the sale has yet to come to a fruition and the Arizona firm has rejected the original proposal.
"I don't know if they're still interested in purchasing the hospital," Hawrylak stated.
While administrators scramble to pull together a deal at the eleventh hour, the hope of recovery is still alive.
"They (BRMC patients) want us to stay open. I think there are a lot of worries about surrounding hospitals closing their doors," Hawrylak said. "We hope we can become a healthy institution again and serve the public."
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