LAWRENCE MEMORIAL CLOSING UPDATE …
from Robert Penta
Yesterday, I announced that from a reliable source the LMH will be closing in 120 days. That information was generated as a result of employees receiving telephone calls from hospital managers stating that LMH medical services would be closing. Last evening at 6:07 pm from a LMH public relations person, an e-mail addressing the subject matter was sent out.
from Robert Penta
Yesterday, I announced that from a reliable source the LMH will be closing in 120 days. That information was generated as a result of employees receiving telephone calls from hospital managers stating that LMH medical services would be closing. Last evening at 6:07 pm from a LMH public relations person, an e-mail addressing the subject matter was sent out.
The e-mail expressed that a transition from emergency care services to urgent care services will be taking place within 120 days. Urgent care will continue to operate with longer hours of operation.
The e-mail notice further stated … “this transition in services is a 120-day process with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. We will continue to communicate updates throughout the process. We have notified the Mayor’s office and City Councilors of this plan and expect there will be a public hearing sometime after our filing in 30 days”.
This type of last minute, pre-planned action by the LMH continues to demonstrate their lack of communication, their failure to be transparent and their lacking to be timely and forthright.
From August to September to October there have been community meetings, a public hearing and city council meetings regarding the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital proposal to build a new one story 17,000 s/f structure with the for profit company Shields on the LMH site.
The disclosure to end emergency care and its associated service(s) was never addressed to take place now during this Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) proposal. While some hospital, personnel comments have stated that some medical services are being reviewed as to their future use, never once did any hospital manager/employee ever address this closing to be this quick and now.
As for my own personal comments at all the public meetings and public hearing, I addressed this matter of the emergency room closing along with the school of nursing, in particular, along with any other of the hospital services that had been rumored about the immediate neighborhood and the city. They were never addressed with any specificity by Melrose-Wakefield management.
The mayor and city council need to have a more aggressive handling of this matter. They need to call the Melrose-Wakefield management and demand their attendance be at next Tuesday’s, Nov. 13th city council meeting to discuss this matter rather than Melrose-Wakefield telling the council they will attend at a later date. ( Is the tail wagging the dog ? )
The council meeting of September 11th regarding resolution matters such as this, being an important matter to discuss, has been completely ignored by the Melrose-Wakefield management to say the least.
Since 2012 when LMH had approximately a $30 million dollar surplus, the past two hospital administrators, Michael Sack and Allan McDonald were not the friends that our city believed them to be when in fact they were preparing for the transfer of LMH assets and services to the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital in preparation for this type of move. Besides losing our hospital, we have lost the spirit our city had in keeping whatever the LMH was and/or could be…truly a shame.
As I have been stating since the ASC proposal has surfaced, I believe there is a back-up game plan the Melrose-Wakefield management has prepared for the LMH property and it probably will be a take it or leave it proposal.
