Partners fine-tunes Union Hospital plan

LYNN – Partners HealthCare will include local concerns about Union Hospital in a major reorganization it plans to submit to state health officials next month, but state Rep. Donald Wong said he wants hospital officials to “reconsider” their plans.”That’s an uphill battle,” acknowledged Wong, but he added, “I’m a big advocate of having a full hospital in Lynn.”Partners plans to move psychiatric care from hospitals in Medford and Salem to Union and shift surgical care now located at the hospital to Salem Hospital.Partners executives last November said their plan will provide more care for patients in Lynn and other communities by maintaining specialty care programs at Union Hospital, including diabetes care, while maintaining rapid-response cardiac care at Salem Hospital.State health officials will receive Partners’ detailed plans at the end of March, said spokeswoman Laura Fleming. She said concerns voiced by residents and Lynn elected officials at meetings held last year about emergency room care and patient admission and discharge procedures will be included in the plan.Residents focused their concerns during the meetings on Partners’ intent to expand the number of psychiatric care beds in Union Hospital. Wong on Monday said residents living around the Lynnfield Street hospital continue to contact him and raise concerns about locating additional mental health care services in a hospital located near public schools.”It shouldn’t be in the neighborhood they want it in,” he said.Fleming said hospital officials have held “multiple meetings” with Police Chief Kevin Coppinger and said Partners executives are “looking at a number of changes to admitting and discharge operations that address the concerns of neighbors.”Instead of expanding psychiatric care in Union Hospital to 100 beds, Wong said Partners should expand its psychiatric care in Salem Hospital.”It would be cost-effective for them,” he said.In preparing its determination-of-need submission to the state, Fleming said Partners is focusing on proposed new construction at Salem Hospital and making budget calculations associated with a multi-city reorganization plan that includes hospital care provided in Lynn.”Any program or service that’s changed needs to be discussed in the determination of need,” she said.Fleming said the submission will underscore Partners’ commitment to providing emergency services at Union Hospital, but Wong would like Partners to view Union Hospital as a central hospital location for Lynn and surrounding communities.”I’ve asked them to meet with me,” he said.