Health & Fitness
St. Vincent Hospital Reopens Some Behavioral Health Beds
The hospital closed the beds in August during the nurses strike, and state lawmakers recently sought a state inquiry into the closure.
WORCESTER, MA — St. Vincent Hospital has reopened a dozen behavioral health beds closed during the nursing strike. The reopening follows a near state inquiry into the closures, and the apparent resolution of the nurses strike.
The hospital closed its behavioral health beds in August citing a staffing shortage during the nurses strike. As the strike continued through autumn and early winter, state health officials demanded the hospital set a date for reopening the beds. Worcester state Rep. David LeBoeuf also urged the state Department of Public Health to do something about the closed beds.
A hospital spokesperson said a portion of the psychiatric beds reopened on Monday in anticipation of the conclusion of the strike. The nurses tentatively agreed to a deal to end the strike on Dec. 17.
"The beds reopened today represent 60 percent of St. Vincent Hospital’s inpatient psychiatry capacity," the hospital said in a news release. "The hospital expects to reopen even more beds after the striking nurses return to the bedside in January."
A formal vote on the new contract for nurses will take place on Jan. 3.
