Reviving fight to get Union off of its deathbed

LYNN – The fight to save Union Hospital has resumed now that its parent company, Partners HealthCare, has unveiled plans to essentially close it down.A meeting will be held at Wayne Alarm Systems in Lynn next Wednesday, with the intent on planning for a public hearing on the issue sometime in the next three months.Robert Norton, president of North Shore Medical Center, confirmed last week that inpatient services in the Lynnfield Street facility will be transferred to Salem Hospital under a three-year plan. The emergency room will be moved, too, in between three to five years under the plan.The public hearing will request that Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey open an investigation on NSMC.Ralph Sevinor, president of Wayne Alarm and immediate past president of the Lynn Chamber of Commerce, said the meeting will be held in the community room of the 424 Essex St. business at 6:30 p.m. Sevinor chose to host, he said, because he believes Lynn deserves a full-service hospital.?With over 91,000 residents, Lynn needs a full-service hospital,” Sevinor said. “I applaud the efforts of those who are working so hard to save the hospital.”Sevinor called Union Hospital a matter of public safety and quality of life. He has been a patient and called the hospital?s service excellent.Lynnfield Chief of Police David Breen said Union Hospital has been the closest facility for patients needing emergency care in his town. Breen transported many victims in the police ambulance in 2004 because of its proximity.?Union Hospital?s close proximity allows my officers to investigate such incidents while still being able to respond quickly to events in Lynnfield, should the need arise,” Breen said. “Many times, a patient?s quick transport was the difference between life and death.”Breen said it will impact his department?s ability to investigate crimes or motor vehicle crashes when victims need a hospital transport.Meeting co-organizer Katerina Panagiotakis, of Lynn, said there are 15 members in a core group, Save Union Hospital Advocates, and 15 volunteers are actively involved. Panagiotakis said about 30 to 40 people are expected to attend.Supporter Mary Stewart, of Lynnfield, said the care at Union Hospital was phenomenal for her husband, Robert, for a possible heart attack, under cardiologist Dr. Bhagwan D. Gupta. Stewart said the nursing staff live and work in the community.Stewart echoed Breen?s statement on proximity.?Citizens need immediate access in crisis situations,” Stewart said. “Union Hospital provides that access. Salem Hospital does not. Partners has caused hospitals to lose contact with citizens it serves.”Panagiotakis said Gupta was able to sustain one of her family member?s clogged arteries and prevent a heart attack.