Hospital is mum about its future
Published on February 17th, 1999
STONEHAM, MA - While the town eagerly awaits word on the fate of the Boston Regional Medical Center, the hospital remains tight-lipped regarding whether or not a savior has come forward to purchase the facility.
The hospital had until Tuesday of this week to present the court with any offers from parties who have expressed interest in settling the BRMC's steep debt and taking over its operation.
As has been characteristic with the hospital in recent months, no notification regarding the status of events has been forthcoming to the town.
The Independent repeatedly attempted to contact BRMC officials on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, but to no avail.
Meanwhile, the state's Department of Public Health hopes to wrap up its investigation into possible negligence at the BRMC's fertility clinic which began late last year when a woman was said to have been inseminated with the wrong sperm.
DPH spokesman Mark Leccesse told the Independent that while the review is still in process, the department remained hopeful that a final report would be available later this week.
If the report points to negligence on the part of BRMC, said Leccesse, the hospital will then have 10 days to respond.
"It's not a public document until they respond. If no problems are cited, then it is a public document," he explained.
If the hospital officially and finally closes its doors, the point then becomes moot for the BRMC, since there will no longer be any procedures in need of fixing at that clinic.
"Nevertheless, our job is to regulate...Maybe someone else... can learn (from BRMC's mistakes)," Leccesse said.
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