MA Nurses Respond To Leonard Morse Hospital Service Changes

NATICK, MA — The state's largest nurses group is warning that major changes proposed for Leonard Morse and Framingham Union hospitals by the owner of MetroWest Medical Center will "impact the safety" of local residents.

The medical center's parent company, Tenent Healthcare, has notified the state Department of Public Health that it will change services at both hospitals. Under the proposal, Leonard Morse would drop services like the emergency room, intensive care, and surgery.

MetroWest Medical Center CEO Andrew Harding said in a statement that Leonard Morse Hospital would become "a unique behavioral health specialty center dedicated to the mental health of our community for child, adolescent, adult and geriatric psychiatric care."

The services leaving Leonard Morse would be consolidated at Framingham Union Hospital.

"This will no doubt result in longer wait times for patients in the Framingham Union emergency department and in dangerous delays for patients in need of ICU and inpatient care," Massachusetts Association of Nurses communications director David Schildmeier said in a statement. "While we are glad that they are preserving psychiatric services at the facility, Tenet is compromising this program by closing their specialize psychiatric unit within the emergency department, a unique and important service for the care of mental health patients in crisis."

Tenent plans to file a 90-day closure notice with the state DPH on Feb. 20 for the Leonard Morse changes.