Union: Stop Memorial Hospital cuts in light of planned merger

A union is urging hospital officials to halt cuts at Pawtucket, R.I.-based Memorial Hospital in the wake of a planned merger between Providence, R.I.-based Care New England Health System and New Bedford, Mass.-based Southcoast Health System, The Valley Breeze reports.

The planned merger would create a $2 billion-plus entity that includes eight hospitals and more than 15,000 employees.

United Nurses and Allied Professionals general attorney Chris Callaci released a statement after Care New England and Southcoast officials announced their intentions to pursue a merger.

In the statement, he urged existing CNE executives to "cease any and all efforts to eliminate or scale back primary care services in Pawtucket" in light of a potential merger with Southcoast, according to the report. He also asked the Rhode Island Department of Health "to put on hold any attempts by CNE to restructure Memorial Hospital."

He added that the union is open to the opportunity to begin thoughtful and productive conversations with Southcoast management.

SEIU 1199 New England also reacted to the merger plan, saying that it is unknown at this time whether the potential merger will benefit patients and hospital workers, according to the report. The union said it "will continue to evaluate the current and any future merger proposals based on the principle that hospitals need to provide high quality services to patients and their families."

Spokesmen for Southcoast and CNE said the parties will move toward the execution of the merger agreement and, if the merger is completed, the combined system would uphold the parties' "proud traditions of providing the best community-based healthcare possible to all patients."

In late February, CNE's board approved a plan to scale back services at Memorial to control losses. At that time, the system said it intended to close Memorial's maternity ward and intensive care unit, consolidate lab services and move the hospital's residency program.