Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has issued a warning to the owners of Carney Hospital in Dorchester, stating that she will oppose any attempts to redevelop the property into anything other than a health care facility. In a letter sent to Macquarie Infrastructure Partners and Medical Properties Trust, Inc., Wu expressed concern that the owners are seeking to capitalize on the closure of the hospital by repurposing the property. She emphasized that the current zoning of the property only allows for residential housing and any efforts to rezone it will be opposed by her administration.
Following a court decision to close Steward Health Care’s Dorchester and Ayer hospitals, which will leave over 1,200 workers unemployed, Wu has been advocating for the survival of Carney Hospital. She was joined by activists, union leaders, and elected officials, including Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Stephen Lynch, to rally support for the hospital. The closures have raised concerns about the impact on the community, with Pressley describing it as a “catastrophic blow” to the city’s largest and most diverse neighborhood.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has criticized Steward Health Care, accusing the company of driving the hospitals into the ground with greed and mismanagement. The administration has allocated $30 million to support the transition of Steward’s remaining hospitals to new ownership as part of their bankruptcy proceedings. Steward is looking to sell eight hospitals in Massachusetts to pay off creditors, but no qualified bids were received for the Dorchester and Ayer hospitals.
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