The working group assigned to determine what’s next for Carney Hospital issued its final report Tuesday with the recommendation that the now-shuttered medical facility should continue to provide health care services.
The 32-member group was assigned by Gov. Maura Healey to present recommendations on what should happen with the site after Carney closed last summer. The report states that the site could accommodate multiple uses including direct health care services and other services that would improve health outcomes for underserved communities.
The working group cited other examples of former hospital campuses around the country that were reused for childcare services, affordable housing and senior housing. The report said that the recommendations aim to address acute health needs and the broader social conditions that affect health outcomes.
Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, co-chair of the 32-member working group and head of the Boston Public Health Commission, told GBH News Wednesday that the needs of the Dorchester community are better served with a comprehensive plan — as opposed to “putting a band-aid on it or addressing one aspect” of the challenges that area faces.
Dorchester residents have some of the lowest life expectancy rates in the city. There’s also a higher rate of Dorchester residents seeking behavioral health care thank other parts of the city. Ojikutu said that it’s paramount to address the many factors within the surrounding community that put people at risk of disease and lower life expectancy.
“We really truly want to be holistic,” Ojikutu said. “We want to change how health outcomes look within the city of Boston and that means that we have to look beyond the health care system in order to do so.”
Ojikutu said the working group will reconvene in the future and hold meetings with stakeholders such as the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Health on what a sustainable path forward looks like.
The working group initially had 90 days to present its recommendations. But Ojikutu told GBH News in February that recommendations took longer than expected because it was attempting to address the intersection of health care needs and societal needs.
Carney closed in August as part of the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care, which owned the hospital.
Carney had about 30,000 emergency department visits yearly before it closed. Since Carney’s closure, Boston Emergency Medical Services has seen a 20% increase in transport time taking former Carney patients to other hospitals, the report found.
Neighboring emergency departments have also seen an increase of patients since Carney’s closure causing increased wait times and increased workload on employees.
The report recommends the city seek more state support for community health centers serving Dorchester to address their increased patient loads since Carney closed.
Ojikutu said that community health centers have been carrying the burden of increased patient loads following Carney’s closure.
“We know there are staffing issues. We know there are challenges that community health centers are facing because they are trying to meet some of these social needs,” Ojikutu said. “That was an important aspect, an important ask within the recommendations.”
