Sen. Doyle meets with Attorney General???s staff to discuss stopping Memorial Hospital closures and layoffs
STATE HOUSE ??? Resulting from a letter sent last week, Sen. James E. Doyle II (D-Dist. 8, Pawtucket) met with the Attorney General???s Chief of the Civil Division and the Healthcare Advocate at the Attorney General???s office today to discuss various legal means to stop the proposed cuts and layoffs to Pawtucket???s Memorial Hospital.?? Care New England, which acquired Memorial Hospital in 2013, has proposed closing the hospital???s birthing and intensive care units.?? They have also already begun laying off a significant number of staff at the hospital.??
???I???d like to thank the Attorney General and his staff for meeting with us today.?? As a fellow Pawtucket resident, he knows how much Memorial Hospital means to the surrounding community, and he also is aware of the devastating effects this misguided proposal will have on Pawtucket,??? said Senator Doyle.?? ???This plan by Care New England is about turning a profit and has not taken into account the damage that will be done to the health of Pawtucket???s residents.?? New families, patients who require intensive care, and staff who have cared for and protected the community for years, are all being sacrificed in the name of a corporate ledger.?? I am far more concerned with the public health of my community than Care New England???s profit margin and that???s why we had this meeting today.???
The meeting discussed whether Care New England is undermining the certificate of need process for Memorial Hospital by slowly closing units and laying off key front-line staff before approval has been granted by the Department of Health.
Senator Doyle stated the next step is to write to the Director of the Department of Health, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, regarding whether Care New England is circumventing the process established to protect the public well-being of the patients of Memorial Hospital.
Also in attendance at the meeting were Sen. Donna M. Nesselbush (D-Dist. 15, Pawtucket, North Providence), Sen. William J. Conley Jr. (D-Dist. 18, East Providence, Pawtucket), Rep. David A. Coughlin Jr. (D-Dist. 60, Pawtucket), and Rep. Raymond H. Johnston Jr. (D-Dist. 61, Pawtucket).