Officials still in Union against Partners

LYNN – Ward 1 City Councilor Wayne Lozzi wants to take Partners HealthCare to court if the firm reduces services at Union Hospital following its decision this week to abandon plans to buy South Shore Hospital.Partners abandoned its bid to buy the Weymouth hospital Tuesday, three weeks after a judge rejected a settlement forged between Partners and former state Attorney General Martha Coakley. Spokesman Kevin Ronningen Wednesday confirmed Partners has not filed with state health officials a detailed plan spelling out proposed changes for Union Hospital.”Until we solidify a plan on how we are moving forward, I cannot supply a timeline on when that might take place,” Ronningen stated.Lozzi helped form Community United for Union Hospital last August, and he is opposed to Partners’ plan, announced in November 2013, to move surgical services from Union to Salem Hospital and expand psychiatric care at Union.He called Partners’ decision to abandon its South Shore expansion “a step in the positive direction.””It derails their plan for a smooth transition to what they want but not what the community wants,” he said.Partners outgoing president Gary Gottlieb, in a letter quoted by the State House News Service, said Partners “… listened and heard the public concerns?” in deciding to shelve its South Shore expansion plan.The News Service quoted Gottlieb as stating “… it is time to take a pause as we reflect on next steps.”Partners used similar language following the judge’s Jan. 29 decision and again on Wednesday in describing how it is proceeding with plans for Union Hospital.”North Shore Medical Center (Union Hospital’s parent firm) and Partners HealthCare remain committed to serving the health needs of Lynn and the entire North Shore region. These objectives have not changed and we will work together in the days ahead to re-evaluate our options for achieving them,” Ronningen said.State Rep. Donald Wong said re-evaluation by Partners should prompt company representatives to meet again with local officials and residents. Wong represents Saugus, Wakefield and Lynn Wards 1 and 2 in the state Legislature. He supports maintaining Union as “a full-service” hospital.With Partners’ focus now off the South Shore, Wong hopes Partners will concentrate on resolving differences with Lynn area residents. Lozzi hopes Partners will ultimately abandon its plans for Union Hospital.”I’d like to challenge them legally if they move ahead. Mounting a legal challenge is the best way to derail their plan,” he said.