Steward Health Care: Nurses and healthcare workers are raising their voices against Steward Health Care, accusing the company of greed and mismanagement. These issues were highlighted in a recent Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing. Many nurses shared emotional stories about how Steward Health Care’s actions have harmed patients and overwhelmed healthcare staff.
One of the most powerful testimonies came from Ellen MacInnis, a nurse who worked at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston for over 26 years. She spoke about the “unsafe” and “untenable” conditions nurses faced due to understaffing and lack of essential resources. MacInnis described how the situation has impacted not only patient care but also the mental and physical well-being of the nurses. She said, “It ruins you.”
How Steward Health Care’s Greed Affects Patients and Workers
According to Senator Bernie Sanders, when private equity firms, like those managing Steward Health Care, take over hospitals, prices go up, care quality goes down, and healthcare workers are forced to do more with less. Steward Health Care is a prime example of this issue. Ralph de la Torre, CEO of Steward Health Care, has been accused of using the company for his financial gain while letting the hospitals suffer.
In 2010, the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management bought six hospitals in Massachusetts and formed Steward Health Care. By 2017, Steward had taken control of 37 hospitals across 10 states. However, many of these hospitals have since faced severe challenges. Steward has closed six hospitals, laid off over 2,600 workers, and cut essential services like obstetrics and oncology.
During the hearing, Senator Sanders accused de la Torre of loading the hospitals with billions of dollars in debt and charging “unsustainably high rents” through deals with Medical Properties Trust, a real estate investment group. As a result, hospitals under Steward Health Care have struggled to provide the care patients need, leading to tragic outcomes.
Understaffing Leads to Tragic Outcomes
One of the most heart-wrenching stories came from Audra Sprague, a former nurse at Nashoba Valley Medical Center. She recalled how her son, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, was admitted to the emergency department during a staffing crisis. With only two nurses available to care for 18 patients, Sprague had to act as her son’s nurse instead of his mother. She said, “I had to be his nurse that night and not his mother.”
This is just one example of how understaffing and resource shortages have put patients in danger. It is estimated that 15 patients in Steward Health Care hospitals have died due to lack of medical staff or equipment. One patient, an 81-year-old man with pancreatic cancer, died while waiting for care in an understaffed emergency department. Another tragic case involved a 39-year-old woman who died after childbirth due to the hospital’s inability to provide an embolism coil, which had been repossessed weeks earlier due to unpaid bills.
Nurses Are Overwhelmed and Exhausted
Nurses working for Steward Health Care are exhausted. Ellen MacInnis described how she and her colleagues struggled to keep up with their duties. With hospitals cutting staff and resources, nurses are forced to work in unsafe environments. MacInnis recalled how, at her hospital, only one of six elevators worked, and nurses were given sleds to move patients during emergencies. She added, “I’m 65 years old. Do you think for one minute I can haul a patient down a flight of stairs on a sled?”
MacInnis also highlighted that there is no shortage of nurses in Massachusetts, but there is a shortage of nurses willing to work in such dangerous conditions.
Lack of Transparency and Accountability
The situation at Steward Health Care hospitals is not only affecting staff and patients but also communities. Staci Albritton Mitchell, the mayor of West Monroe, Louisiana, shared how local leaders were kept in the dark about the financial problems at Glenwood Regional Medical Center, another hospital under Steward Health Care. Mitchell and other officials were told that the hospital was profitable, but in reality, it was struggling.
Michael Charles Echols, a Louisiana state representative, also expressed frustration at how private equity firms like Steward Health Care operate. He described their actions as “criminal enterprises,” accusing them of demanding bailout money from politicians after they’ve run hospitals into the ground.
Calls for Action
Many are calling for accountability for Steward Health Care and its CEO, Ralph de la Torre. Despite being subpoenaed to testify at the Senate hearing, de la Torre refused to attend. Senator Sanders and others are pushing for new legislation to stop private equity firms from exploiting hospitals and putting patients and communities at risk.
Steward Health Care is currently in the process of selling its hospitals after filing for bankruptcy in May. However, many are concerned that other private equity firms may step in and continue the cycle of greed and mismanagement.
In conclusion, the stories shared by nurses and healthcare workers during the Senate hearing highlight the urgent need for reforms in how hospitals are managed by private equity firms. The greed and mismanagement seen at Steward Health Care have led to patient deaths, nurse burnout, and community suffering. It’s clear that changes must be made to protect both healthcare workers and the patients they serve.
