In Florida, Steward owns eight hospitals, including five purchased from Tenet Health Care for $1.1 billion in 2021. The Steward spokesperson said the company has been working with Louisiana state officials “on some areas of oversight they have identified to help us better serve our community.” “They’re compromising the health outcomes of the citizens of Northeast Louisiana based on the level of both supplies and adequate medical needs that are needed to meet that service delivery,” Echols said. But the state Health Department remains on high alert, and is continuing to monitor the situation at Glenwood, he said. The hospital has been able to scrounge up enough supplies to pass muster with the state for now, Echols said. Francis Medical Center and Ochsner LSU Health, he said. Many patients were diverted to other hospitals, including nearby St. In West Monroe, La., Steward’s 278-bed Glenwood Regional Medical Center was “almost shut down” late last year after the state health department found it was lacking basic medical supplies, said Louisiana state Representative Michael Echols, whose constituents rely on the hospital. The company at the time celebrated becoming the largest private hospital operator in the country.īut more than six years later, Steward appears to be facing challenges across much of that empire. Later that year, it broadened its portfolio further when it acquired Tennessee-based IASIS Healthcare, which brought 18 hospitals in six states - Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Texas, and Utah - under Steward’s control. Hannah Yoon/Photographer: Hannah Yoon/Bloomb In 2020, Steward threatened to shutter its hospital in Easton, Pa., if it did not receive a $40 million bailout, the Wall Street Journal reported. They were more interested in profiting.”Ī spokesperson for Steward defended the company’s dealings in San Antonio, arguing that “the issues and subsequent closing … were well known.” “The sad reality is that this was just another business that didn’t really care for people. “They waited until the last minute, when they knew that this population was so vulnerable already,” said San Antonio City Councilor Adriana Rocha Garcia. Locals in San Antonio know that sort of sudden, devastating shock to the care system well. Steward plans to close its rehabilitation hospital in Stoughton in April, and some in the health care industry fear more Massachusetts closures could follow - taking away much-needed services for at-risk populations. The company declined to comment on specific litigation but dismissed legal disputes with vendors as the “normal course for any large health system.” Lawsuits filed by business partners have dogged the company in states including Florida, Ohio, and Texas, as well as Massachusetts. Another closure is scheduled in Beaumont, Texas, this month. Steward’s landlord revealed last month that the health system had failed to pay its full rent for months and would consider selling off some hospitals.Ĭiting poor finances and in some cases under-utilization by patients, Steward has already shuttered hospitals in recent years in Texas, Ohio, and Arizona. Steward, which owns more than 30 hospitals in nine states and employs more than 40,000 people, has faced escalating financial difficulties for at least the past three years, public records show. A Globe review found challenges across the company’s national footprint.
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