City leaders decry Union Hospital announcement

LYNN – City leaders and a longtime local resident who fought to keep Union Hospital open reacted bitterly Tuesday to news North Shore Medical Center will leave Union largely empty under a three-year plan to move inpatient beds to Salem.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy called the announcement from NSMC – a member of Partners HealthCare – “both extremely disappointing and upsetting.””A city our size wants and needs a full-service hospital,” she said. “Many have made a compelling case for Partners keeping the hospital open. It is unfortunate that has apparently fallen on deaf ears.”State Sen. Thomas M. McGee contacted state Attorney General Maura Healey’s office Wednesday after learning about the announcement.”Lynn was very clear about what we won’t accept and what we want to continue to happen – and that is to have the service this community needs and deserves on the table,” McGee said.McGee said he wants the AG’s representatives and state health officials involved in reviewing NSMC’s plans and he wants community leaders to meet on the plan.”It is clear we have to come together as a community,” he said.City Council President Daniel Cahill echoed Kennedy’s words.”Today’s news is, of course, upsetting to many patients, employees and community members who utilize Union Hospital. We are committed to working with state legislators, the mayor and our congressman (U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton) as we go forward to protect the interests of the city,” Cahill said.Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Lozzi, who fought since NSMC initially unveiled its plans in November 2013, tempered disappointment over the announcement with faint optimism.”It’s very bad news Partners would consider closing this hospital. I’m optimistic that another health care organization would consider Union. I’m hopeful,” he said.Lozzi credited a local grassroots campaign, including the Save Union Hospital initiative, with pushing NSMC to pull its plans for expanded inpatient psychiatric care at Union off the table.City Economic Development and Industrial Corporation Director James Cowdell said the Lynn “community spoke” in 2013 when it opposed NSMC’s initial plans.”Partners did exactly what they wanted with zero regard to the input that was given,” he said.Since February when a Superior Court judge ruled against its major reorganization plans, Partners has been silent about Union Hospital’s future – until Wednesday’s announcement and North Shore Medical Center President Robert Norton’s confirmation that 88 inpatient surgical beds at Union Hospital will go to Salem Hospital.That plan – in much greater detail – will require state review.Lynn Health Task Force member Leslie Greenberg said longtime Union advocates have been “very realistic” about the Lynnfield facility’s future.”I think they’ve been closing parts of it down for a long time. It’s been a great hospital. We’re very sad to see that it will not be a full-service hospital. I’m disappointed, the whole medical field is changing, but I want to see a hospital that is all the best,” Greenberg said.Cahill underscored his intention to ensure the emergency care is maintained in Lynn.