DARTMOUTH — As a financial crisis unfolds at Steward Health Care, a local medical group tied to the company says it “has no plans to go anywhere” but otherwise is tight-lipped on the potential impact to patients.
Hawthorn Medical Associates in Dartmouth identifies itself as an “affiliate” of Steward. The group has not responded to questions about its relationship with the struggling for-profit Steward and what the crisis could mean for its patients.
Steward, which runs St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River and eight other hospitals in Massachusetts, is at a dire financial tipping point. The company is months behind on rent and other bills, and it’s at risk of having to sell or close its hospitals.
A spokesperson for Hawthorn released a two-sentence statement on Friday in response to The Light’s request for an interview.
“Hawthorn is open and we have no plans to go anywhere,” wrote Kathleen Murray, Hawthorn’s head of marketing, in an email. “Regardless of the name on the facility, our providers are here to care for patients in our community and that is the most important thing.”
Murray did not respond to follow-up requests for an interview or a detailed list of questions sent on Monday.
The statement did not directly address how Steward’s financial health is impacting staffing and services at Hawthorn — at one Steward hospital, medical devices were repossessed for unpaid bills, the Boston Globe reported. Hawthorn’s statement also did not address how the medical group would cope if Steward closed St. Anne’s Hospital.
Hawthorn says on its website that the affiliation “allows us to expand our services, gain access to a greater scope of health plans, and join with a strong partner invested in our community.”
Steward did not respond to a request for comment.
Email Grace Ferguson at gferguson@newbedfordlight.org
