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Problems with nurse staffing, recruitment, and retention plaguing both facilities METHUEN, Mass. and HAVERHILL, Mass., Oct. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, October 18, registered nurses at the two hospitals of Steward Holy Family in both Haverhill and Methuen, who are unionized with the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), will hold informational pickets at each facility to draw attention to the struggles they are facing in delivering safe, quality care to their patients. They will also call on the hospitals' owners and managers to treat the Holy Family RNs with the respect and equality that they deserve. The Holy Family RNs have identified an ongoing and dangerous issue with both the recruitment and retention of new nurses on both campuses — an issue that is largely being driven by the lack of competitive pay by Steward. Second only to Beth Israel Lahey's Ana Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, the two Holy Family Hospitals' wages are lower than any hospital in the northeast region of Massachusetts. That salary difference is nearly 20% less for Holy Family RNs compared to their local counterparts. As a result, Holy Family nurses leave for better-paying positions at nearby hospitals while nurses who are looking for new jobs pass over jobs at Holy Family hospitals because, they too, can get better-paying jobs in better-staffed hospitals close by. For the nurses who remain at the Haverhill and Methuen campuses, it means they are understaffed and are struggling to provide patients with the safe care they deserve. "There just aren't enough nurses or resources," said Karen Powers, a labor and delivery RN and co-chairperson of the MNA bargaining unit at Holy Family Hospital Methuen. "The market for nurses is highly competitive right now, and that isn't changing anytime soon. The only way Steward Holy Family will succeed in this market is if they respect their nurses and pay them competitively. Until then, the hospital will be understaffed, and patient care and safety will be jeopardized." "We fought to provide the best care possible through the pandemic, and every day before and after," added Jamie Garvey, an RN in the ICU and co-chairperson of the Holy Family Methuen MNA bargaining unit. "But we can't keep up with the community's needs when we keep losing staff." Nurses at the Haverhill campus shared similar details. "The lack of competitive wages here at Holy Family Haverhill has absolutely led to an acute and urgent staffing crisis," said Jane Emory, RN and co-chairperson of her MNA bargaining unit. "In several units, we've watched the hospital close beds to the point where patient capacity has been dramatically reduced. This includes our geriatric psych unit, which went from 17 beds to 11, and our medical/surgical unit which went from 32 beds to 18." Emory went on to explain that, in reality though, the med/surg unit generally only has about 14 beds open. "There's rarely enough staff to cover a patient census of 18." The adult psych unit at the Haverhill campus has also been a victim of uncompetitive wages and the associated understaffing. "Both Holy Family campuses were struggling to staff their adult psych units, so our adult psych nurses were 'temporarily' transferred to Methuen," added Emory. "That was 20 months ago. It's pretty clear that new nurses are unwilling to take jobs in these stressful, sometimes dangerous units for the uncompetitive wages that Steward insists on offering." Between the two Holy Family campuses, there are a total of 550 MNA registered nurses working. But dozens more nursing positions remain unfilled. The nurses at both Haverhill and Methuen are currently in contract talks, where there are proposals specific to staffing, recruitment, retention, and pay on the table, but little headway has been made. "We are out here today to let managers know that we are serious about these proposals, and we have the local community, elected leaders, friends, family, and neighbors in our corner. We want to care safely for our patients, and our supporters want the same." Six negotiation sessions have been held to date at each campus, with the next sessions scheduled for October 24 and 26. MassNurses.org │ Facebook.com/MassNurses │ Twitter.com/MassNurses │ Instagram.com/MassNurses Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in Massachusetts. Its 25,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on healthcare issues affecting nurses and the public. SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association

BOSTON, Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On Belay Health Solutions, the company on a mission to empower primary care practices to succeed in value-based care, today announced the addition of two executives to the team whose strategic expertise and depth of experience will be pivotal as we navigate the complexities of the healthcare landscape. Andrew Herman joins as Chief Financial Officer Sarah Swank joins as General Counsel "I am thrilled to welcome Andrew and Sarah to the team," said Andrew Allison, Co-Founder and CEO of On Belay. "They both bring deep healthcare and specifically ACO and value-based care expertise in their respective functions, ensuring we have the right leadership in place to scale our company and support our partner practices." Andrew Herman joins On Belay as the Chief Financial Officer. He brings over 15 years of health care finance, managed care and ACO operations experience to On Belay. Most recently, Andrew was CFO of Steward Health Care Network (SHCN) where he was responsible for financial operations of SHCN nationally, including the commercial, Medicare and Medicaid value-based business units. "As the incoming CFO of On Belay, I am committed to driving financial excellence and sustainability in our mission to provide high-quality, patient-centered care. I look forward to collaborating with our dedicated team to navigate the complexities of the healthcare landscape, ensuring that we not only meet our financial goals but also enhance the well-being of the patients we serve." Sarah Swank joins as General Counsel. She brings over 20 years of experience as a senior in-house counsel in national health systems and a strategic thought leader and advisor in nationally recognized, top-rated law firms. Sarah represented some of the first ACOs and telehealth programs in the country, supporting efforts to improve quality of care and health outcomes. Sarah is a national author and speaker, Vice Chair of ABA Health Section Publications Board, and former Vice Chair of Education for the American Health Law Association In-House Practice Group. "I am thrilled to join an organization driven by its mission to empower clinicians to thrive in their daily work and impact the health of the communities they serve." On Belay recently announced the expansion of its leadership team with Bob LoNigro MD, SVP Clinical Affairs, and Kate Casaday, Chief of Staff. On Belay has more than doubled in size in the last six months and is hiring at a fast pace to meet the needs of its growing physician base. About On Belay Health Solutions On Belay Health Solutions is on a mission to empower primary care providers to deliver the best possible care, while optimizing their financial and operational performance. On Belay supports practices in successfully transitioning to value-based care with solutions that improve patient outcomes and care team experience. On Belay currently operates in 15 states, including Washington D.C., partnering with practices to create a brighter, more sustainable future for healthcare. Learn more at . SOURCE On Belay Holdings, Inc.

Compass Medical closed its doors to patients May 31 without prior warning to the community or its employees, which the complaint's plaintiff said was negligent and could lead to interruptions in care. A New England provider’s abrupt closure blindsided its patients and employees and has prompted class-action litigation alleging negligence. East Bridgewater, Massachusetts-based Compass Medical served roughly 70,000 patients across six locations south of Boston. The for-profit offered primary care, urgent care and specialty care lines including cardiology and pulmonary medicine. May 31, the company shuttered its facilities with notices on the doors that the location was “temporarily closed,” according to news reports and a class-action lawsuit filed June 2 by a Massachusetts resident on behalf of other affected patients. Alongside the closure, Compass removed most of its website and posted a statement informing patients of “our imminent plan to close our practices.” “After a steady stream of challenges, we were ultimately forced to make the devastating decision to close all offices of Compass Medical PC. effective immediately,” the company wrote alongside messages directing patients with urgent medical attention to one of several local providers. Compass also said it would be updating its website with information for patients hoping to continue care with their primary care clinician and made a form available for requesting medical records. The “steady stream of challenges” could refer to the rising workforce and supply costs providers have shouldered in recent years, which has left many organizations operating at a loss. It could also include the $16.4 million penalty a jury ordered Compass to pay to its former business partner Steward Medical Group—a Boston-based, nine-state, 1,700-physician multispecialty practice group affiliated with Steward Health Care—for contract breaches and intentional misrepresentation back in November. That legal battle began when Compass unsuccessfully sued Steward for over $80 million in damages in 2017. A Steward spokesperson told a local ABC affiliate that the company had yet to receive any of that claim “and has nothing to do with [Compass] going bankrupt.” A former employee posted videos on Twitter saying that she and others were caught off guard by the closure and that benefits such as insurance coverage were not being extended. Compass employed more than 400 people across its locations. Richard Callanan, the patient who filed the class-action lawsuit, alleged that Compass would have known it was shutting down “long before” May 31 and had a responsibility to give customers advanced notice that their medical care facilities would no longer be available. “Compass deprived Plaintiff and the members of the putative class of the advance opportunity to make adequate arrangements for continuity of their medical care and future care and treatment planning with non-Compass medical providers and facilities,” Callanan wrote in his complaint (PDF). “Furthermore, Compass failed to provide any reasonable notice, guidance, assistance or transparency to its patients/customers inter alia as to how to find a new caregiver, how to continue with treatment, how to fill or re-fill prescriptions and how to access their medical records to facilitate future care.” Callanan's complaint alleges seven counts that include negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, intentional misrepresentation and fraud. He is seeking an order determining Compass’ liability “for damages caused by its unlawful and tortious acts and omissions” as well as relief for those damages and an enjoinment order, according to the complaint. In a June 3 statement, Bruce Weinstein, M.D., president of Compass’ board of directors, said the closure “became a necessity … when our plan to continue operations collapsed” on May 26—five days before the doors were locked and a week before employees logged their final day on the job. He said the company has helped providers find other locations to practice and cited career resources provided to other employees. Steward, which operates hospitals in the area, has also started its own phone line for Compass patients and is holding job fairs this week for those who lost their jobs.