Nurses Outraged Over UMass Memorial’s Plan to Close Endoscopy Service at Clinton Hospital

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Monday, January 15, 2018

GoLocalWorcester News Team

UMass Memorial Health Alliance Clinton Hospital nurses are outraged after the Hospital’s decision to close the Endoscopy Service with less than three weeks notice.

“The loss of this program is a disservice to our community and to the patients we care for every day. This has been an important service for our community and for the patients under our care. We were surprised by the announcement, as there has been an effort in recent years to enhance this service, with the purchase of the latest equipment, and expanded demand for endoscopy services by our patient population,” said Louise Fusco, a nurse who has worked in the Endoscopy service for more than 15 years.

Endoscopy Service Closure

Health Alliance management told the nurses of their intent to close the unit last week and informed the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) that they had no obligation to notify the DPH of the closure and planned to proceed with the closure as of January 26.

Under state law, any plan to close a hospital or specific services, requires the provider of that service to tell the Department of Public Health so that the agency can determine if the service is essential to maintaining the health of the community, and if it is eventually closed, that there is a plan in place to ensure patients have access to needed care. 

The law requires a minimum 90-day notice of the closure following notification to DPH, and a public hearing conducted by DPH where community members and other advocates can provide testimony concerning the essential nature of the service. 

Nurses Taking Action

The nurses sent a letter to the Department of Health and are also reaching out to policymakers and other community leaders to share their concerns.

Nurses also intend to go to a public forum Clinton CEO Debra Weymouth is holding on at the Clinton Town Hall at 6 p.m. to share information on changes planned for Clinton Hospital. 

See the Full Letter Below

 

Sherman Lohnes, Esq.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Division of Health Care Quality

99 Chauncy Street, 11th Floor

Boston, MA  02111

 

Dear Sherman,

Nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association have been notified by UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital of their plan to close their endoscopy service at Clinton Hospital as of January 26, 2018. We believe this constitutes the closure of an essential service that under DPH regulations, requires notification by the hospital to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), with a subsequent 90-day notice of closure and a public hearing to determine whether this is an essential service; and if closed, the facility must provide a detailed plan for how the service will be delivered post closure. 

In meetings with Health Alliance management, they contend that there is no need to notify MDPH or for the essential service regulations to be implemented.  We hereby dispute that claim and are taking this opportunity to request MDPH intervention in this matter, and that the essential service closure process commence. 

We make this request based on our review of the relevant law of the Commonwealth here and the following criteria:

·     The endoscopy service is an ambulatory service that is clearly identified by Massachusetts regulations as subject to an essential service review.

·     The nearest service is 12 miles away, beyond the five-mile limit called for under the regulation.

·     The nearest alternative service is outside the zip code of the current service.

 

It is clear that this service meets all the requirements set forth by the MDPH for such a closure, and we believe that the community and the employees of Clinton Hospital should be provided with the required notice for such a closure, and that the public has a right to a hearing on this closure to ensure that the public health is protected.  We look forward to a response to this request and for prompt action to hold Health Alliance accountable for following the law.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this. 

Sincerely,

Mary Crotty, JD, MBA, BSN

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